Geomorphic Processes:

II. Exogenous
II. Gradation Processes –
Weathering, Mass Wasting,
Erosion, Transportation
and Deposition
Exogenous processes
• occur on or near the surface of the earth
• usually influence or driven by gravity, water,
wind and organism
 WEATHERING

Weathering is disintegration and decomposition of rocks in situ –

no transportation involved  produces regolith
 More precisely, it involves the 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 cavities

Types of Weathering: 1) Physical or Mechanical Weathering,

2) Chemical Weathering, and 3) Biological Weathering
Exogenous processes
• 1. Weathering-disintegration
ofrocks, soil, and minerals
together with other materials
through contact with Earth’s
subsystem.
 Physical or Mechanical Weathering
 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
e.g., Exfoliation Dome (Stone Mountain, GA) and Exfoliation Sheets (Sierra Nevada)
• Frost Wedging

• Salt Wedging
• a. Physical Weathering-is the breakdown of
rocks by mechanical forces concentrated along
rock fracture.
• water, wind, or ice may abrade or scrape rocks or
soil.

• Example: drought
 Chemical Weathering
 decomposes rocks through a chemical change in its minerals

Oxidation – important in iron-rich

rocks – reddish coloration like rust

Hydrolysis – igneous rocks have

much silica which readily combines
with water

Carbonation and Solution –

carbon dioxide dissolved in water
reacts with carbonate rocks to
create a soluble product (calcium
bicarbonate)
• b. Chemical weathering- is the process by
which rocks break down by chemical
reactions.

• new secondary minerals develop and

sometimes replace the original properties
of the minerals in the original rock or soil
 Biological Weathering
– plants and animals contribute to weathering.

 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.

Lichens
• 2. Erosion-process by which Earth’s
surface is worn away by wind, water, or ice.
• 3. Mass wasting- movement of large
masses of materials such as rocks, debris,
soil and mud.
• a. Debris flow-happens when a large
amount of sediments, usually rocks of
various sizes, falls down the slope.
• b. Mudflow-happens when combined soil
and water flow down a slope, happens near
rivers or streams where soil or sand
• is always moist or has been soaked in water for a
long time
• weight of the mudflow indicates the severity of
risk when it flows

• 3. Slump- a slow movement of soil along a

curved surface
• area would look curved because of the
depression formed by the sinking land
• 4. Sedimentation- is the accumulation of
minerals such as soil, rock fragments, and soil
particles setting the ground.
Geomorphic Processes:

 Physical processes which create and modify landforms

on the surface of the earth

 Endogenous (Endogenic) vs.Exogenous (Exogenic)

Processes

 Rock Cycle 
B. 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
Relationship:
Weathering
Mass Wasting
Erosion
and
Transportation

Together,
these processes are
responsible for
Denudation
of Earth’s surface
Landslide
Debris Flow
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