Geomorphic Processes:
Exogenic and
Endogenic Process
Exogenic Process
• In exogenic processes it break down rocks and
erode rock fragments from higher energy sites,
transporting them to different locations.
• Those that originates at Earth’s surface.
exo-external
Endogenic Process
• These are geomorphic processes that originate
within the Earth.
endo- within genic- originating
Geologic Processes:
Physical processes which create and modify landforms
on the surface of the earth
Rock Cycle
A. Endogenous Processes
Endogenous Processes are large-scale landform
building and transforming processes
1. Igneous Processes
a. Volcanism: Volcanic eruptions Volcanoes
b. Plutonism: Igneous intrusions
2. Tectonic Processes (Also called Diastrophism)
a. Folding: mountains
b. Faulting: rift valleys
c. Lateral Faulting: strike-slip faults
Earthquakes evidence of present-day tectonic activity
B. Exogenous Processes
Also called Gradational Processes, they comprise
degradation and aggradation –
® 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, Erosion and Transportation
2. Aggradation Processes
a. Deposition – 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
Weathering is disintegration and decomposition of rocks.
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.
Types of Weathering:
1) Physical or Mechanical Weathering,
2) Chemical Weathering, and
3) Biological Weathering
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
• Frost Wedging- water repeated freezing in fractures and small
cracks in rocks.
• Salt Wedging-Salt wedging happens when saltwater seeps into
rocks and then evaporates on a hot sunny day
FROST WEDGING
EXFOLIATION
SALT WEDGING
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)
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
EROSION
Erosion is the geological process in which earthen materials are
worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or
water. A similar process, weathering, breaks down or dissolves
rock, but does not involve movement.
TRANSPORTATION
transportation is thprocess when these broken pieces are
moved by currents to other areas on the earth's surface
DEPOSITION
Sediment deposition is an important part of the erosion
process. Slope and soil type affect the spatial distribution
of erosion.
