LESSON 1: GEOMORPHIC/GEOLOGIC PROCESSES: EARTH PROCESS

- Physical processes which create and modify landforms on the surface of the Earth
- Endogenous (Endogenic): inside; process that occur underneath the Earth
: earthquake, volcanic eruption
- Exogenous (Exogenic): outside; occurs on the surface of the Earth
: weathering, transportation, erosion, mass wasting, deposition

Endogenous Processes

- Large scale landform building and transforming processes. They create relief
1. Igneous processes
 Volcanism: Volcanic eruptions → Volcanoes
 Plutonism: Igneous intrusions
2. Tectonic Processes (Diastrophism)
 Folding – anticlines, synclines, mountains
 Faulting – rift valleys, graben, escarpments
 Lateral Faulting – strike-slip faults
Earthquakes: evidence of present-day tectonic activity

Exogenous Processes

- Also called Gradational Processes, they comprise degradation and aggradation – they modify
relief a continuum of processes – Weathering → Mass Wasting → Erosion → Transportation →
Deposition
- these processes are carried through by Geomorphic Agents: gravity, flowing water (rivers),
moving ice (glaciers), waves and tides (oceans and lakes), wind, plants, organisms, animals and
humans
1. Degradation Processes → Also called Denudation Processes

a. Weathering , b. Mass Wasting and c. Erosion and Transportation

2. Aggradation Processes

a. Deposition – fluvial, eolian, glacial, coastal

Degradation Processes: weathering, mass wasting, erosion and transportation

Relationship: weathering, mass wasting, erosion and transportation together these processes are
responsible for denudation of earth’s surface

Weathering

- Break down of rocks

- Disintegration and decomposition of rocks in situ-no transportation involved produces
regolith
- Involves mechanical or physical disintegration and/or chemical decomposition that fragments
rock masses into smaller components that amass on-site, before being moved by gravity or
transported by other agents
 - The processes begin in microscopic spaces, cracks, joints, faults, fractures, lava vesicles and
other rock activities
 Physical/Mechanical – disintegration and decay of rocks via weather elements: high
temperatures, extreme cold and freeze-thaw cycles. No change in chemical composition
of rocks.
 Exfoliation – due to thermal expansion/contraction and/or release of pressure
when buried rocks are uplifted and exposed (Exfoliation Dome: Stone mountain,
GA & Exfoliation sheets: Sierra Nevada)
 Frost Wedging
 Salt Wedging
 Chemical – decomposes rocks through a chemical change in its minerals. When there is
chemical reaction, there is chemical change in the chemical composition and properties
and is ireeversible.
Corrosion – form acid rain
 Oxidation – important in iron-rich rocks-reddish coloration like rust
 Hydrolysis – igneous rocks have much silica which readily combines with water
(universal solvent: water)
 Carbonation and Solution – carbon dioxide dissolved in water reacts with
carbonate rocks to create a soluble product (calcium bicarbonate)
 Biological – plants and animals contribute to weathering. Living things are the cause
 Roots – physically break or wedge rock
 Lichens (algae and fungi living as single unit) – remove minerals and weaken
rock by releasing acids
 Burrowing animals – can increase weathering

Factors that contributes to weathering

1. Climate – change in temperature in a particular place

2. Rock Type – mostly vulnerable rocks (high porosity). Mineral composition and permeability
3. Rock structure
4. Topography – place, slope, angle of the rock
5. Erosion – movement or rocks/soil
6. Time

Formation of sedimentary rock

Sedimentation and Lithification

LESSON 2: EROSION

- Erosion is defined as removal of rocks and soil by wind, water, ice and gravity.
- Wind, water, ice and gravity are also known as the agents of erosion.
- Movement of soil particles/rock into one place to another
- The difference of weathering and erosion is that, weathering does not involve movement
 Wind Erosion – makes the place smooth. Usually carries only small particles Wind can
play a role by carrying material (especially sand and clay) from one place to another. As
the wind blows, it picks up small particles of sand/sediment and blasts large rocks with
 the sand/sediment, cutting and shaping the rock. The intensity of wind erosion is
determined by: Sum (amount of sand), Speed, Slope, Surface
 Water Erosion – can carry rocks. One of the powerful erosion because water can carry
larger rocks. When rain falls to the Earth it can evaporate, sink into the ground, or flow
over the land as Runoff. When it flows over land, erosion occurs. Runoff picks up pieces
of rock and "runs" downhill cutting tiny grooves (called rills) into the land. How much
erosion takes place is determined by the: Sum (amount of water), Slope, Speed, Surface
 Ice Erosion - Glaciers wear down the landscape; by picking up and carrying
 debris that moves across the land along with the ice. Glaciers can pick up and carry
sediment that ranges in sizefrom sand grains to boulders bigger than houses. Moving
like a conveyor belt or a bulldozer, a single glacier can move millions of tons of material!
How much erosion takes place is determined by the: **Sum (Glaciers are massive!),
Slope, Speed, Surface
 Gravity Erosion - Gravity Erosion is better known as Mass Movement and is defined as
the transfer of rock and soil down slope by direct action of gravity without a flowing
medium (such as water or ice). Some of the best examples of Mass Movement are:
Creep, Rock fall, Slump, Landslides, Avalanches
Karst - A type of landscape where caves are common. The land has different sized blocks of
limestone. These fractures are where the water seeps in, dissolves the stone, and forms caves.
Effect on us: Humans are constantly influencing the nature of our landscapes. HOUSES, ROADS,
BUILDINGS, DEVELOPMENTS, CANALS, etc., all change the shape and appearance of the land.

Erosion and Transportation

- Various Geomorphic Agents, associated Processes, and resulting Erosional Features

Flowing Water – Fluvial Morphology

- Humid regions: Perennial streams and entrenched channels, rapids, waterfalls, plunge pools,
potholes, meandering streams, bank erosion, oxbow lakes, etc.

Wind – Eolian Landscapes

- deflation hollows, ventifacts, yardang, etc

Tides and Waves – Coastal Morphology

- Sea cliffs, sea caves, sea arches, sea stacks, wave-cut beaches, etc.

Moving Ice – Glacial Morphology

- glacial troughs (U-shaped valleys), hanging valleys, glacial lakes,

DEPOSITION

– Various geomorphic agents, associated processes and resulting Depositional Features

Fluvial – Humid regions: Braided streams, sand bars, floodplains (alluvium deposits), natural
levees, distributaries, deltas Arid regions: Alluvial fans, bajadas, piedmont alluvial plains, playas, playa
lakes, Salinas (salt flats)

Eolian – Sand dunes (Barchans, Parabolic, Transverse, Longitudinal, Star), and sand sheets

Coastal – Sea beaches and coral reefs

Glacial – Alpine: Glacial drifts, tills, moraines (lateral, medial, end, terminal, recessional, and ground)

Continental: Till plains, outwash plains, drumlins, eskers, kames, erratic