GEOMORHIC PROCESSES
Dr. Sunita Singh
Department of Geography
Banaras Hindu University
Geomorphic Processes:
Exogenous & Endogenous
Gradation Processes –
Weathering, Mass Wasting,
Erosion, Transportation
and Deposition
Geomorphic Processes:
Physical processes which create and modify landforms
on the surface of the earth
Endogenous (Endogenic) [Link] (Exogenic)
Processes
Rock Cycle
A. Endogenous Processes
Endogenous Processes are large-scale landform
building and transforming processes
– they create relief.
1. Igneous Processes
a. Volcanism: Volcanic eruptions Volcanoes
b. Plutonism: Igneous intrusions
2. Tectonic Processes (Also called Diastrophism)
a. Folding: anticlines, synclines, mountains
b. Faulting: rift valleys, graben, escarpments
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 – 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
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
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
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
Talus Cones
in the Canadian Rockies
Talus – pieces of rock at bottom of a rock fall
Landslides
Can cause much destruction
A massive 300-ton boulder blocks a
road in Southern California
La Conchita Landslide, January 10, 2005
Monterey Park Debris Flow, 1980
PCH near Pacific Palisades, November 1956
EROSION and TRANSPORTATION
– Various Geomorphic Agents, associated Processes,
and resulting Erosional Features
• Flowing Water – Fluvial Morphology
Humid regions:
Perennial streams and 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