EXOGENIC PROCESS

• Geomorphic process that takes above the earth surface is known as exogenic
process.
Types:
1. Weathering Process
2. Mass Movement Process
3. Erosional Process
4. Depositional Process
1. Weathering:
• Breakdown of larger rocks into smaller pieces due to various agents is
known as weathering.

• Agents includes temperature, rainfall, winds, glaciers, waves, tides and

ocean currents.

Types of weathering processes:

Based on the agents there are three types of weathering processes

i. Physical Weathering

ii. Chemical Weathering

iii. Biological Weathering
i. Physical Weathering:

• Breakdown of rocks occurs due to temperature.

• During day time due to more temperature rocks expands and during night time
due to low temperature rocks contracts. This process makes the rocks weaker
and causes the breakdown of rocks.

ii. Chemical Weathering:

• Breakdown of rocks occurs due to chemical reactions. Rocks inside the water
bodies like lakes, Rivers, sea and oceans melts and breaks into smaller pieces.

iii. Biological Weathering:

• Breakdown of rocks occurs due to activities of biological agents like movements

of animals, growth of plants, mining, constructional activities by humans etc.
 2. Mass Movement
• Movement of mass of rocks, soil and vegetation under the influence of gravity
is known as mass movement.
Types:
1. Slow Mass Movement
2. Sudden Mass Movement
1. Slow Mass Movement:

i. Creep: Movement of mass of soil and rocks from dry lands is known as creep.

ii. Solifluction: Movement of mass of soil and rocks from wet lands is known as
solifluction.

2. Sudden Mass Movement:

i. Earth flow: Movement of larger mass of soil and rocks due to heavy rainfall and
less vegetation in steep sloped mountains and hilly areas is known as earth flow.

ii. Mud Flow: Movement of larger mass of soil or mud due to heavy rainfall and less
vegetation in gentle sloped or plain regions is known as mud flow.

iii. Landslides

iv. Avalanches
 3. Erositional Process
• Process that causes erosion on the earth surface with the help of various agents
are known as erositional process.
• Different landforms created on the earth surface because of erosion are called
erosional landforms.
• Agents are: 1. Running Water
2. Winds
3. Glaciers
4. Groundwater
5. Waves, Tides & Ocean Currents
6. Lava and Magma
 4. Depositional Process
• Process that causes deposition on the earth surface with the help of various
agents are known as depositional process.
• Different landforms created on the earth surface because of deposition are called
depositional landforms.
• Agents are: 1. Running Water
2. Winds
3. Glaciers
4. Groundwater
5. Waves, Tides & Ocean Currents
6. Lava and Magma
Erositional & Depositional
landforms created by different Agents:
1. Running Water Or Fluvial Landforms
2. Winds or Aeolian Landforms
3. Glaciers or Glacial Landforms
4. Groundwater or Karst Landforms
5. Waves, Tides & Ocean Currents
6. Lava and Magma or Volcanic Landforms
Landforms created by Running Water
(Fluvial Landforms)
 1. Landforms created by Running Water
(Fluvial Landforms)
A. Erositional Landforms:
1. Rill: Removal soil in fixed channel is known as rill.
2. Gullies: Larger and wider rills are known as gullies.
3. Gorges: Larger and wider gullies are known as gorges. Gorges will have
almost same width at the top and bottom.
4. Ravines: Larger Gorges
5. Valley : A low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or
stream flowing through it. It generally will have V shape. e.g Kashmiri valley,
Narmada valley.

6. Canyon: Stepped valleys are known as canyon e.g Grand canyon formed by
colorado in USA.

7. Potholes: Shallow depressions on the surface of rocks.

8. Plunge pools: Larger depression at the bottom of waterfalls.

9. Waterfalls : A waterfall is an area where water flows vertically downward from
high altitudes over a vertical steep slopes of mountains or hills in the course
of a river.
 Waterfalls in Height – Locality Country
the World Metres/Feets
Angel Falls 979 metres (3,212 ft) Canaima National Venezuela,
Park, Bolívar Churun River, a
tributary of the
Caroni.
Tugela Falls 948 metres (3,110 ft) KwaZulu-Natal South Africa,
Tugela River in
the Drakensberg.
Tres Hermanas 914 metres (2,999 ft) Otishi National Peru
Falls Park, Junin
Olo’upena Falls 900 metres (2,953 ft) Molokai, Hawaii United States
Islands
A. Depositional Landforms:
1. Alluvial Plains: Plains found near rivers main course.
2. Delta: The load (materials) carried by the rivers is dumped and spread
into the mouth of the river at sea and generally forms a triangular shaped
diagram is known as delta.
e.g Gangetic Delta, Nile River delta.
3. Flood Plains: Floodplain is a major landform of river deposition, includes
Sand, Silt and Clay and other fine sized sediments that are carried by
rivers.
4. Natural Levees: They are low, linear and parallel ridges of coarse
deposits along the banks of rivers on both sides due to deposition
action of the stream, appearing as natural embankments.

5. Meanders: In large flood and delta plains, rivers rarely flow in

straight courses. Loop-like channel patterns called meanders.

6. Oxbow lakes: In the lower course of a river, meanders become very

much more pronounced. As meanders grow into deep loops, the
same may get cut-off due to erosion at the inflexion points and are
left as Independent water bodies, known as ox-bow lakes.
 Courses of a River
• A river, which is the best example of the linear flow of running water through
a valley, can be divided into three, on the basis of its course :

1. Upper Course

2. Middle Course

3. Lower Course
1. Upper Course / Youth stage (Erosion dominates):

• It starts from the source of the river in hilly or mountainous areas.

• The river flows down the steep slope and, as a result, its velocity and
eroding power are at their maximum.

• Streams are few, with poor integration.

• As the river flows down with high velocity, vertical erosion or downward
cutting will be high which results in the formation of V-Shaped Valleys.

• Waterfalls, rapids, and gorges exist where the local hard rock bodies are
exposed.
2. Middle Course/Maturity stage (Transportation dominates):

• In this stage, vertical erosion slowly starts to replace with lateral erosion or
erosion from both sides of the channel.

• Thus, the river channel causes the gradual disappearance of its V-shaped valley
(not completely).

• Streams are plenty at this stage with good integration.

• Wider flood plains start to visible in this course and the volume of water
increases with the confluence of many tributaries.

• The work of river predominantly becomes transportation of the eroded materials

from the upper course (little deposition too).

• Landforms like alluvial fans, piedmont alluvial plains, meanders etc. can be seen
at this stage.
3. Lower Course/ Old Stage (Deposition dominates):

• The river starts to flow through a broad, level plain with heavy debris
brought down from upper and middle courses.

• Vertical erosion has almost stopped and lateral erosion still goes on.

• The work of the river is mainly deposition, building up its bed and forming
an extensive flood plain.

• Landforms like braided channels, floodplains, levees, meanders, oxbow

lakes, deltas etc. can be seen at this stage.
 Running water: Erosion, Transportation,
and Deposition
• Erosion occurs when overland flow moves soil particles downslope.

• The rock materials carried by erosion is the load of the river.

• This load acts as a grinding tool helping in cutting the bottom and sides of
the river bed, resulting in deepening and widening of the river channel.
1. Erosion

Various aspects of fluvial erosive action include:

1. Hydration: The force of running water wearing down rocks.

2. Corrosion: Chemical action that leads to weathering.

3. Attrition: River load particles striking, colliding against each other and breaking
down in the process.

4. Corrasion or abrasion: solid river load striking against rocks and wearing them
down. As the rock particles bounce, scrape and drag along the bottom and sides
of the river, they break off additional rock fragments. This form of erosion is
called corrasion or abration. They are two types: Vertical Corrosion-which acts
downward & Lateral Corrosion-which acts on both sides.
2. Transportation:

• After erosion, the eroded materials get transported with the running water.
This transportation of eroded materials is carried in four ways:

 Traction: The heavier and larger rock fragments like gravels, pebbles etc. are forced
by the flow of the river to roll along its bed. These fragments can be seen rolling,
slipping, bumping and being dragged. This process is called as traction and the load
transported in this way are called traction load.

 Saltation: Some of the fragments of the rocks move along the bed of a stream by
jumping or bouncing continuously. This process is called as saltation.

 Suspension: The holding up of small particles of sand, silt and mud by the water as
the stream flows is called suspension.

 Solution: Some parts of the rock fragments dissolved in the river water and
transported. This type of transportation is called solution transportation.
3. Depositional Process in Old Stage

• Delta Formation

• Oxbow-Lakes
Landforms created by Winds
(Aeolian Landforms)
 2. Landforms created by Winds
(Aeolian Landforms)
A. Erositional Landforms: The wind or Aeolian erosion takes place in the following
ways, viz. deflation, abrasion, and attrition.
1. Deflation: Removing, lifting and carrying away dry, unsorted dust particles by
winds. It causes depressions known as blow outs.
2. Abrasion : When wind loaded with sand grains erodes the rock by grinding
against its walls is called abrasion or sandblasting.
3. Attrition : It refers to wear and tear of the sand particles while they are being
transported.
• Following are the major erosional landforms produced by wind erosion.
1. Mushroom Rocks

• After erosion a
rock appears like
mushroom.
2. Inselbergs

• A monadnock or
inselberg is an
isolated hill, knob,
ridge, outcrop, or
small mountain
that rises abruptly
from a gently
sloping or virtually
level surrounding
plain.
3. Yardangs

• Rock with gentle

slope on one side
and steep slope
on another side
is known as
yardang.

• Wind usually
bows parallel to
the steep slope
of yardang.
4. Zeugen
• A table-shaped
rock found in
arid and semi-
arid areas is
known as
zuegen.
5. Wind bridges and
windows
• Powerful wind
continuously
abrades stone
lattices, creating
holes. Sometimes
the holes are
gradually widened
to reach the other
end of the rocks
to create the
effect of a window
thus forming a
wind window.
• Window bridges,
are formed when
the holes are
further widened
to form an arch-
like feature.
5. Desert Playas

• Small depressions
with water is
known as playas
or desert lakes.
B. Depositional Landforms
By Winds
1. Sand dunes
• Sand dunes are
heaps or small
ridges of sand
found in deserts.
• Generally their
heights vary
from a few
metres to 20
metres but in
some cases
dunes are
several hundred
metres high and
5 to 6 km long.
2. Barchans: Crescent shaped dunes. The windward side is convex whereas the
leeward side is concave and steep.

3. Seif: One half of Barchan is known as seif.

4. Parabolic dunes: The windward side is concave whereas the leeward side is
convex. They are U-shaped and are much longer and narrower than
barchans.

5. Star dunes: Have a high central peak, radically extending three or more arms.
6. Longitudinal dunes: Formed parallel to the wind movement. The windward slope of
the dune is gentle whereas the leeward side is steep. These dunes are commonly
found at the heart of trade-wind deserts like the Sahara, Australian, Libyan, South
African and Thar deserts.
7. Transverse dunes: Dunes deposited perpendicular (transverse) to the prevailing
wind direction.
8. Loess: Depositional plains formed by the winds. This layer of fine, mineral-
rich material is called loess.
Extensive loess deposits are found in northern China, the Great Plains of North
America, central Europe, and parts of Russia and Kazakhstan.
The thickest loess deposits are near the Missouri River in the U.S. state of Iowa and
along the Yellow River in China.
 QUESTIONS
Q.1 The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and
suggest suitable measures of mitigation.

(250 Words/15 Marks)

Q.2 Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in
Western Ghats.

(200 Words/12.5 Marks)