Geologic Processes on

Earth
What causes the rock cycle & the
continuous alteration of Earth?
⚫The dynamism of Earth is attributed
to its never-ending geologic
processes driven by internal &
external forces.
Geologic Processes
⚫ Broken down into 2 categories:
1. Exogenous (external)
2. Endogenous (internal)
Exogenous Processes
⚫ Occur on or near the surface of the earth
⚫ Carried through by Geomorphic
Agents: gravity, flowing water (rivers),
moving ice (glaciers), waves and tides
(oceans and lakes), wind, plants,
organisms, animals and humans
Exogenous Processes
⚫ These could be destructive occurrences
that leave significant changes on the
landscape & even in the ecosystem of an
area.
⚫ In extreme cases, it can wipe out
majority of the organisms inhabiting that
area
Exogenous Processes
⚫acontinuum of processes – Weathering
Mass Wasting
Erosion Transportation
Deposition
Exogenous Processes
⚫ 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
I. 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
 1. 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
 1. Weathering
▪ The processes begin 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
 A. 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)
 A. Physical or Mechanical Weathering

• Frost Wedging
• Salt Wedging
B. 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)
C. 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. Mass Wasting
⚫ It is the movement of large masses of materials
(e.g., rock, debris, soil, mud) down a slope or a
steep-sided hill or mountain due to the pull of
gravity.
⚫ It is very destructive in areas with increased
water flow (such as rainfall of flash floods),
steep slopes, scarce or no vegetation, or
vibrating or moving ground (e.g., from
earthquakes or induatrual activities)
 2. Mass Wasting
⚫ Forms of Mass Wasting:
a. Debris Flow-- happens when a large amount
of sediments, usually rocks of various sizes,
falls down the slope.
➢ Unlike a landslide, debris flow does not
need water to flow down.
Monterey Park Debris Flow, 1980
 2. Mass Wasting
⚫ Forms of Mass Wasting:
b. Mud Flow-- happens when combined soil
and water flow down a slope
➢ This usually happens near rivers or
streams where soil or sand is always
moist or has been soaked in water for a
long time.
➢ The weight of the mudflow indicates the
severity of risk when it flows down a
community.
La Conchita Landslide, January 10, 2005
 2. Mass Wasting
⚫ Forms of Mass Wasting:
c. Slump- slow movement of soil along a curved
surface. In time, the area would look curved
because the depression formed by the sinking
land
 3. Erosion &
Transportation
⚫ Erosion– process by which Earth’s surface is
worn away by wind, water, or ice.
⚫ It moves rock debris or soil from one
place to another.
 3. Erosion &
Transportation
⚫ Erosion takes place when there is rainfall,
surface run-off, flowing rivers, seawater
intrusion, flooding, freezing and thawing,
hurricanes, wind, etc.
⚫ These are forces of nature, whether violent
or passive, capable of exfoliating or scraping
Earth’s surface & exposing layers underlying
it.
 3. Erosion &
Transportation
– Various Geomorphic Agents,
associated Processes,
& 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.
 3. Erosion &
Transportation
• 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,.
Moving Ice
Moving Ice
 3. Erosion &
Transportation
⚫ Movement of land animals during migration
or stampede can cause erosion.
⚫ Human activities such as deforestation,
overgrazing and mining also cause erosion.
⚫ These activities can cause massive
deterioration & destruction of infrastructure.
II. Aggradation Processes
a. Deposition
-- process of depositing something ( sand,
snow, or mud) on a surface or area especially
over a period of time
-- Various geomorphic agents, associated
processes and resulting Depositional
Features
 DEPOSITION
• 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
Fluvial
Fluvial
Eolian
 DEPOSITION
• 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
Coastal
Glacial
What environmental practices can
be done to minimize the threats of
exogenous processes to human
safety?
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

• It takes place within or in the interior of

Earth.
• The driving force is the thermal energy of
the mantle.
• Most of the thermal energy originates
form the decay & disintegration of
radioactive elements in the earth’s core.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

• It is responsible for the earthquake,

development of continents,
mountain building, volcanic activities,
& other movement related to Earth’s
crust.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

• Examples of EP that played a role in

the evolution of landforms of Earth:
➢1. MAGMATISM-- it happens when
magma is generated & develops into
igneous (magmatic) rocks.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES
1. MAGMATISM
-- it can take place either under the
surface or on the surface of the Earth.
--Magma is the original material that
make up igneous rocks. It is very hot & is
constantly moved by the internal heat
that reaches the mantle of Earth thru
convection current.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

2. VOLCANISM (Plutonism)
-- it is the process that usually happens
after magma is formed.
-- Magma tries to escapes from the
source thru openings such as volcanoes
or existing cracks on the ground.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

2. VOLCANISM (Plutonism)
-- Magma comes out with extreme heat
& pressure & may cause destructive
explosions
-- As soon as magma reaches the surface
of earth, it is now called LAVA
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

3. METAMORPHISM
-- It is the process of changing the
materials that make up a rock.
-- The chemical components & geologic
characteristics of the rock changed due
to heat & pressure that are increasing or
decreasing.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

3. METAMORPHISM
-- The minerals in the rock may change
even if the rock does not melt
-- It should be noted that rocks changing
due to weathering & sedimentation are
not considered to have undergone
metamorphism.
 ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES

o What drives the endogenous

processes?
o Where does the force come
from?
o Why is it called endogenous?
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

✓ The geologic processes that

occur on earth cause stress on
rocks.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

✓ GEOLOGICAL STRESS– force

(from pushing & pulling of
plates) that acts on the rocks
thereby creating different
behavior or characteristics.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior
1. COMPRESSIONAL
✓ Rocks push or squeeze against one
another.
✓ The stress produce is directed
toward the center. Hence, when
these rocks meet, the orientation
could either be horizontal or
vertical.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior
1. COMPRESSIONAL

✓ Horizontally, the
crust may thicken
or shorten.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior
1. COMPRESSIONAL

✓ Vertically, the
crust can thin
out or break
off
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

1. COMPRESSIONAL
✓ It usually what take place in
folding, which results in mountain
building.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

2. TENSIONAL
✓ Rocks are pulled apart.
✓ Rocks may separate in opposite
directions or move farther away
from one another.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

2. TENSIONAL
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

2. TENSIONAL
✓ It is speculated that this type of
stress is what separated all the
continents in the world during the
breaking away of the supergiant
continent known as PANGAE
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

3. SHEAR
✓ Some of the portions of a plate at
the edges may break away in
different directions, eventually
making the plate smaller in size.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

3. SHEAR
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior
3. SHEAR
✓ Depending on the conditions of
the environment, shear stress
usually happens at different rates
at the boundaries of the plate.
✓ The friction caused by this stress
can cause earthquakes.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

4. CONFINING
✓ The crust becomes compact,
making it look smaller.
✓ None of the crust’s edges break
away.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

4. CONFINING
✓ The breaking away happens from
the inside.
✓ It retain the shape of the crust but
not its weight.
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior

4. CONFINING
Types of Rocks that Influence Rock
Behavior
4. CONFINING
✓ In short, nothing may seem to has
changed in the appearance of the
crust because changes have
occurred inside.
✓ It can cause sinkholes where the
inside portion of the ground has
already disintegrated without being
apparent.