EXOGENIC PROCESSES

Week 4| Earth Science

Introduction
Opening Prayer:
Let us remember, that we are in the most holy and loving presence
God.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

AMEN.

Let us pray the Lasallian prayer.

I will continue, O my God, to do all my actions for the love of you.

St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.

Introduction

EXTERNAL PROCESSES
External Processes are those
processes that occur at or
near the Earth’s surfaces and
are powered by the energy
from the sun.
Introduction

1. WEATHERING
• Weathering is the physical
breakdown (disintegration)
and chemical alteration
(decomposition) of rocks at
or near the Earth’s surface.
Introduction

TYPES OF WEATHERING
It is accomplished by physical forces
that break rock into smaller and
MECHANICAL WEATHERING
smaller pieces without changing the
rock’s mineral composition.

CHEMICAL WEATHERING It involves a chemical transformation

of rock into one or more new
compounds.
Introduction
CAUSES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

Freeze-Thaw Action or Frost Wedging

Introduction
CAUSES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

SALT CRYSTAL GROWTH

Introduction
CAUSES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

EXPANSION RESULTING FROM UNLOADING

A rock unit buried below a land surface experiences high

compressional stresses because of the weight of the
overlying rock. These fractures divide the rock into a series
of layer or sheets; hence this processes is called sheeting.
Introduction
CAUSES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY
Introduction
CAUSES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

HUMAN ACTIVITIES
• DIGGING
• BLASTING
• STRIP MINING
• AGRICULTURE
Introduction
CAUSES OF CHEMICAL WEATHERING

• DISSOLUTION – certain min

water.
• HYDROLYSIS – occurs when
minerals and breaks them d
• HYDRATION – occurs when
into the crystal structure of
Introduction
CAUSES OF CHEMICAL WEATHERING
• CARBONATION - when carbon dioxide interacts
chemically with minerals
• OXIDATION – the reaction of oxygen with minerals in
the rock that forms oxides.
• BIOLOGICAL WEATHERING – occur in roots of plants,
fungi and lichens secrete organic acids that dissolve
minerals and the nutrients are taken by these
organisms.
Introduction
RATES OF WEATHERING
The rate of weathering is the speed at which rock or soil is broken
down.

CONTROLS IN THE RATES OF WEATHERING

• Rock Type
• Climate
• Surface Area
• Topography
Introduction
2. EROSION AND TRANSPORT
• EROSION is the separation and removal of weathered
and unweathered rocks and soil from its substrate due
to gravity of transporting agents like wind, water, and
ice.

• TRANSPORT is the process by which sediments are

moved along from the source to where they are
deposited
Introduction
WIND EROSION
Occurs commonly in flat, bare
areas of dry, sandy and lose soils.
It detaches particles and transport
them by wind.

• Wind Abrasion
• Deflation
Introduction
WIND DEPOSITION
• Dunes – a low mound or ridge of
sediments that form where the wind
that is carrying the sediment
encounters an obstruction.

• Loess – very fine dust or silt

that is deposited over large
areas.
Introduction
WATER • Traction – the rolling or
dragging of large grains aided
by the push of smaller grains.
• Saltation – bouncing of sand
grains as they are picked up,
carried along, and dropped
repeatedly
• Suspension - moving of
particles.
• Solution – movement of soluble
materials.
Introduction
ICE (GLACIERS)
A glacier is a permanent body of ice which consists largely of
recrystallized snow and shows evidence of movement due to
gravity.
Introduction

MASS WASTING
• The downslope movement
of rock, regolith, and soil
under the direct influence
of gravity. It does not
require a transporting
medium.
Trigger – an event that initiates
downslope movement
Introduction
MASS WASTING
Factors that trigger mass wasting:
• Saturation of material with water
• Over steepening of slopes
• Removal of anchoring vegetation
• Ground vibration from earthquakes
• Relief
• Fragmentation and Weathering
Introduction
TYPES OF MASS WASTING
• Debris Flow – a relatively rapid type of mass
wasting that involves a flow of soil and regolith
containing a large amount of water.
• Mudflow – when the material is primarily fine-
grained.
• Lahar – debris flow composed mainly of volcanic
material on the flanks of volcanoes.
Introduction
TYPES OF MASS WASTING
• Earthflow – a type of mass
wasting that leaves a scar on the
slope of a hillside and forming a
tongue- or teardrop shaped mass
that flows downslope
• Slump - refers to the downward
sliding of a mass of rock or
unconsolidated material moving
as a unit long a curved surface.
Introduction
TYPES OF MASS WASTING
• Solifluction – a type of mass
wasting that is common wherever
water cannot escape from the
saturated surface layer by
infiltrating to deeper levels.
• Permafrost – the permanently
frozen ground that occurs in
association with Earth’s harsh
tundra and ice-cap climates.
Introduction

TYPES OF MASS WASTING

Thawing – produces unstable ground that may
slide, slump, subside.
Introduction

DEPOSITION
It is the process in which sediments settle out of the
transporting medium.

• Bed – the layer formed when the materials are laid

down.
• Sorting – the distribution of grain size in a layer
Introduction

DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS
DEPOSITION
• Alluvial Fan – formed when a stream reaches a flat area or
gently sloping plain.
Introduction
DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS
• Flood Plain – flat, wide expanse of alluvium that covers flat
areas which are prone to flooding.
• Levee – formed by successive flood over the years.
• Oxbow lake – a horse-shoe lake that forms as a river finds a
different, shorter course.
Introduction

SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS
• Sedimentary Environments are those places
where sediment accumulates.
• They are grouped into continental, marine, and
transitional (shoreline) environments. Each is
characterized by certain physical, chemical, and
biological conditions
Introduction
SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS
• Glacial Environments - areas where
glaciers and ice sheets are found such as
in high altitude mountains and in polar
regions
• Mountain Stream Environment -
turbulent streams can carry large
sediments like boulders and cobbles
during flood forming thick gravel and
boulder layers.
Introduction

SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS
• Mountain Front Environment – when a stream
enters the flat area at the base of the mountain, it
loses its energy and decreases its velocity resulting
to a landform called alluvial fan, primarily composed
of sand- to boulder-size sediments
Introduction
SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS
• Desert Environment
• Lacustrine Environment
• Fluvial Environment
• Delta Environment
• Beach Environment
• Shallow Marine Environment
• Deep Marine Environments
Introduction
DISCOURSE ASSESSMENT
WEATHERING EVALUATION RUBRIC
LOW WEATHERING MODERATE WEATHERING HIGH WEATHERING
POTENTIAL POTENTIAL POTENTIAL
Introduction
DISCOURSE ASSESSMENT
VENN DIAGRAM: WATER AND WIND SOIL EROSION
Compare and contrast the factors that affect soil erosion due to water
and wind.

WIND WATER
EROSION EROSION