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
Disastrophism Volcanism

Erosion (including
transportation) by
Degradation
Weathering
Running water
Mass wasting GW
Winds
Waves, tides,
tsunami
Glaciers

Gradation

Aggradation by
Running water
GW
Winds
Waves, tides, tsunami
Glaciers

Extraterrestrial
processes
Infall of
meteriotes

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