Topic 2: Exogenic Processes

are external processes that occur at r

near the surface of the Earth.
part of the rock cycle
responsible for transforming rock into
sediments
include degradation processes and
aggradation processes
Degradation Processes includes
 weathering
 mass wasting
 erosion
 transportation
Aggradation Process
 deposition
 Weathering
• refers to the physical breakdown or
chemical alteration of rocks at or near
Earth's surface
• it is a degradation process and does not
involve movement of material
• there are two types of weathering:
mechanical/physical and chemical
weathering
 Mechanical Weathering
• also known as disintegration - is the
breaking up of large rocks into smaller
fragments without changing the rock's
mineral composition
• physical processes that occur in nature
that break rocks into smaller pieces
• these include Frost wedging (frost
weathering), insolation weathering
(thermal stress weathering), unloading
(pressure release), and biological actvity
 Frost Wedging(Frost Weathering)
• occurs in regions where temperature
fluctuates above and below freezing point,
resulting in a freeze - thaw cycle.
• Water that enters through the cracks and
empty spaces of rocks expands when it
freezes.
Frost Weathering
 Insolation Weathering
• sometimes called thermal stress results
from the expansion and contraction of
rocks caused by temperature change.
• the outer surface of the rock is often
warmer or colder than the inner portions,
which may cause the peeling away of
outer layers, the process of "peeling off" is
called exfoliation.
Insolation Weathering
Unloading or Pressure Release
• occurs when the overlying rock is eroded
away, causing the outer rock to expand
more than the rock below
Unloading
 Chemical Weathering
• decomposes rocks through chemical
change
• include the following; Oxidation,
Hydrolysis, Carbonation and Solution,
Biological Action
1.Oxidation
 Oxygen dissolved in water will oxidize
some materials.
 Reddish-brown rust will appear on the
surface of iron-rich minerals which will
easily crumbles and weakens rock
Oxidation
2. Hydrolysis
 Water is perhaps the most important agent
of chemical weathering.
 It affect silicate
Example
Mg2Si4(s) + 4H2O(l) Mg(OH)2 (aq) + H4SiO4 (aq)
Hydrolysis
3. Carbonation and Solution
• Carbon dioxide dissolve in water to form
carbonic acid and reacts with carbonate
rocks to form soluble product calcium
bicarbonate
Example
CO2 + H2O H2CO3 (aq)
Carbonic Acid
CaCO3 + H2CO3 Ca(HCO3)2 (aq)
Carbonation
4. Biological Action
• some plants and animals may create
chemical weathering by releasing
chelating and audifying compounds that
react with some minerals in rocks
Biological Action
 Rate of Weathering
• Factors that affect rates of weathering,
such as rock characteristics and climate.
1. Rock Characteristics - include mineral
composition, solubility, and cracks
2. Climate - specifically temperature and
moisture, are tw climate factors are crucial
to the rate of weathering
The combination of warm temperature and
abundant moisture is a very good
environment for chemical weathering
 Mass Wasting
– refers to the downslope movement of rocks
and soil under the influence of gravity
– there are three types of mass wasting such
as; Rock and Debris Falls, Land Slide, and
Flows
 Types of Mass Wasting
1. Rock and Debris Falls
 Rock falls occur when a piece of rock or
mass of rocks become dislodged and
makes free-fall along a steep cliff.
 Debris fall is similar to rock fall, except that
it involves a mixture of soil regolith,
vegetation and rocks
2. Land Slide
 another type of mass wasting
 they are sudden fast movement of
cohesive mass of soil, rock, regolith
 they occur in two types: Translation and
Rotational
 Translational slides - involve the
movement of a mass of materials along a
well-defined surface such as bedding
plane,foliation surface, or joint surface.
• Rotational Slides or Slumps - occur when
the descending materials move en-masse
along a concave, upward curved surface.
3. Flows - may be slurry flows or granular
flows.
Slurry flows - consist of a mixture of rocks
and/or regolith with 20% to 40% water.
they are considered as water-saturated
flows.
Granular flows - contain 0 to 20% water.
they are not saturated with water
 Describe the Type of Weathering
1.
4
5
 Erosion
• Is the process of transporting weathered
sediments by agent of erosion to different
places.
• process by which the sediments are worn
away and moved elsewhere by gravity, or
by a moving transport agent - wind, water,
or ice
 Agents of Erosion
1. Running Water - is the primary agents of
erosion on Earth.
 Most running water is found in streams
and rivers
 There are different types of water erosion
that affect landforms these include; Splash
Erosion, Sheet Erosion, Gully Erosion,
Valley Erosion, Bank Erosion, Coastline
Erosion, Seaside cliff Erosion
2. Glacier - is a thick large mas of ice formed
hundreds or thousands of years mostly in
remote areas like in the poles or in high
mountains
 they move very slowly
 capable of great erosion, they can erode
land through Plucking and Abrasion
Plucking - is the process wherein fractured
bedrocks are incorporated into the ice.
This occurs when ice water freezes, it
expands, loosens, and pulls out the rock
fragments, becoming part of the glaciers
Abrasional effect- happens when the ice and its
load of rock fragments slide over a bedrock. It
smoothens and polishes the surface below.
 The result of abrasion may be rock flour
(pulvurized rock) or galciel striation (scratches
and grooves) on the bedrock surface.
 The effect of glacia erosion varies, it depends on
the following: rate of movement, thickness of the
ice, shape and hardness of fragments contained
in the ice, and erodibility of the surface beneath
the ice.
3. Wind - carries dust, sand, and volcanic
ash from one place to another.
 In dry areas, strong wind wears away soft
rocks, and polishes rocks and cliffs until
they are smooth.
 Can also erode materials until nothings is
left
 In the desert, wind flows sand to form
sand dunes
 Transportation
 Is the processes by which sediment is
moved along

How are the materials transported?

 Materials are transported in four distinct
ways - as solution, suspension, by
traction, or through saltation.
1. Solution - materials are described in water
and carried along by water
2. Suspension - the suspended particles are
carried by a medium (air, water, or ice)
3. Traction - particles move by rolling, sliding,
and shuffling along eroded surface. these
movements occur in all erosional agents
4. Saltation- particles move from the surface
to the medium in quick repeated cycles.
the repeated cycle has enough force to
detach new particles.
 Deposition
• is the aggradation or accumulation of
weathered sediments to create different
landforms