Geomorphic processes and

resulting landforms
Geomorphic Processes

Are all those physical and chemical changes which affect

modification of earths surfacial forms by creating and
modifying landforms on the surface of the earth.

Geomorphic agent is any natural medium which is capable

of securing and transporting earth material., viz., running
water, glaciers, winds, waves, tsunami, etc.
 Agents of Change... Rivers & Oceans

Gravity

Glaciers Wind
 Geomorphic Processes

Exogenetic Endogenetic Extraterrestrial

processes
Disastrophism Volcanism
Erosion (including Infall of
Gradation Aggradation by meteriotes
Degradation transportation) by
Running water
Weathering Running water GW
Mass wasting GW Winds
Winds Waves, tides, tsunami
Waves, tides, Glaciers
tsunami
Glaciers
Exogenetic processes

Exogenetic processes originate in the atmosphere of earth

and draw their energy from sun.

Are the processes of land construction as they remove rock

materials from higher areas & deposit in lower areas.

Act upon the surface of earth and give birth to various

landforms. Are performed by river, glacier, wind, etc.

Endogenetic processes

Endogenetic processes originate within the earth.

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

ROCK CYCLE
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 Earths 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
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 entrenched
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
 Fluvial Processes
and Landforms

Landforms shaped by running water are described as

fluvial landforms.

The work of streams consists of three closely related

activities - erosion, transportation, and deposition,
creating two major types of fluvial landforms: erosional
landforms and depositional landforms.
Deltas
A valley can also be lengthened at its seaward end-in this case,
by deposition. Flowing water slows down wherever it enters the
quiet water of a lake or ocean and deposits its load.
Most of the debris is dropped right at the mouth of the river in a
landform called delta.
 Arid
Landforms
 Basic Concepts
I. Most deserts exhibit highly angular
landscapes.
mechanical weathering dominates
angular particles of weathered rock;
bedrock outcrops
little soil or vegetation to soften landscape
II. Softer, more rounded landscapes appear
where deposition is predominant.
dunes
III. Desert rainfall is infrequent, intense, and
unreliable.
intense flash flooding, intense erosion
ephemeral streams
 DESERT FLUVIAL
PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
Fluvial Erosion - rare, intense flash floods.
steep slopes; steep-walled canyons; washes,
wadis, arroyos, canyons.
fluvial systems decrease in discharge
downstream
Fluvial Transportation - large amounts of rock and
sand moved short distances.
Fluvial Deposition where water slows on flat
playas material is deposited and sorted by size.
alluvial fans
rock debris in piedmont region
Arroyo
Virga
 Slot
Canyon
 The
Narrows,
Zion N.P.,
Utah
 AEOLIAN (WIND)
PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
Aeolian Erosion - much less effective than fluvial
deflation - the movement of small particles
abrasion - polishes and etches exposed surfaces
Aeolian Transportation - moves nothing bigger
than sand
dust storms - can extend thousands of feet up
sand storms - only very near the surface
Aeolian Deposition - dunes form and shift where
winds and terrain combine to slow the winds or
block the movement of dunes.
 AEOLIAN (WIND)
PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
Types of
Dunes
BARCHAN

TRANSVERSE
DUNES

SEIFS
 Types of Dunes
Barchans - migrating crescent dune
with horns pointing downwind; form
where strong winds blow in a consistent
direction. Move fast. Common in central
Asia and Sahara. Can reach hundreds of
feet in height.
Transverse Dunes - parallel waves of crescent
dunes perpendicular to wind direction; migrate
downwind. Found in areas with large supply of
Seifs - multiple very long narrow, parallel dunes. May be
caused in areas with at least two dominant wind
directions. Can be tens of miles long. Common outside of
Piedmont - gently sloping land that
extends out from base of mountains.
Pediment - sloping bedrock at base that
develops.
Delicate Arch,
Arches National
Park, Utah
 Coastal
Landforms
 COASTAL FLUVIAL
PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
Coastal Erosion - dependent on wave size, angle,
and frequency. Focused where waves contact
coast.
Headlands, sea cliffs, bluffs, sea stacks, natural
bridges
Beach Erosion
Coastal Transportation - wave action creates
strong currents parallel to shore. Large waves
move beach sand offshore. Small waves push it
back on shore.
Longshore current
Coastal Deposition where wave action is
reduced, beaches and dunes form.
beaches
Isla Vista Beach, October 2001
Isla Vista Beach, December 2002
Beach Erosion
Sand
Spit
Sea Stacks
Natural Bridges and
Arches
Barrier Islands
 Factors Correlated with
Healthy Coral Reef Growth
water temperature range: 18
29C
normal seawater salinity: 32 35

clear, transparent water
little or no sedimentation
vigorous water motion