BICOL TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.

Aguinaldo St. Bacacay, Albay

First Semester – S.Y: 2020-2021
Email: techvocbttci@gmail.com
__________________________________________________________________
Course Title and Code: Earth and Life Science || ES and LS
Content Expert: Kristine Joyce C. Besmonte
Core Subject Description: This learning area is designed to provide a general background for
the understanding of Earth Science and Biology. It presents the history of the Earth through
geologic time. It discusses the Earth’s structure, composition, and processes. Issues, concerns,
and problems pertaining to natural hazards are also included. It also deals with the basic
principles and processes in the study of biology. It covers life processes and interactions at the
cellular, organism, population, and ecosystem levels.
Unit 1: Earth Science
II. EARTH MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
Module 5: EXOGENIC PROCESSES

Content Standard: The learners demonstrate an understanding of geologic processes that occur
on the surface of the Earth such as weathering, erosion, mass wasting, and sedimentation
(include the role of ocean basins in the formation of sedimentary rocks;
Learning Outcomes: The learners…
1. describe how rocks undergo weathering; and
2. explain how the products of weathering are carried away by erosion
and deposited elsewhere
No. of Hours: 4 hours (1 Week)

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Introduction
EXOGENIC PROCESSES

Geomorphic processes are classified into endogenic processes and exogenic processes.

Exogenic processes include geological phenomena and processes that originate externally to the
Earth's surface. They are genetically related to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, and
therefore to processes of weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, denudation etc.
Exogenic factors and processes could also have sources outside the Earth, for instance under the
influence of the Sun, Moon etc. The above mentioned processes constitute essential landform-
shaping factors - Figure 14-1. Their rate and activity very often depends on local conditions, and
can also be accelerated by human action. It is also true that combined functioning of exogenic
and endogenic factors influences the present complicated picture of the Earth's surface.
Mountains, valleys and plains seem to change little, if at all, when left to nature (Adams
and Wyckoff, 1971), but they do change continuously. The features of the Earth's surface
temporary forms in a long sequence of change that began when the planet originated billions of
years ago, and is continuing today. The processes that shaped the crust in the past are shaping it
now. By understanding them, it is possible to imagine, in a general way, how the land looked in
the distant past and how it may look in the distant future.
Landforms are limitless in variety. Some have been shaped primarily by streams of
water, others by glacial ice, still others by waves and currents, and many more by slow
movements of the Earth's crust or by volcanic eruptions. There are landscapes typical of deserts
and others characteristic of humid regions. The arctic makes its special mark on rock scenery, as
do the tropics. Because geological conditions from locality to locality are never quite the same,
every landscape is unique. Rock at or near the surface of the continents breaks up and
decomposes because of exposure. The processes involved are called weathering.
Weathering is the decomposition and disintegration of rocks and minerals at the Earth's
surface. Weathering itself involves little or no movement of the decomposed rocks and minerals.
The resulting material accumulates where it forms and overlies unweathered bedrock.
Erosion is the removal of weathered rocks and minerals by moving water, wind, glaciers
and gravity. After a rock fragment has been eroded from its place of origin, it may be transported
large distances by those same agents. When the wind or water slows down and loses energy,
transport stops and sediment is deposited.
These four processes - weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition work together
to modify the Earth's surface (Thompson and Turk, 1998).

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What are Exogenic Forces?

 The forces which derive their strength from the earth’s exterior or originate within the
earth’s atmosphere are called as exogenic forces or external forces.
 The action of exogenic forces results in wearing down and hence they are considered
as land wearing forces.

Exogenic Processes
 are processes that take place at or near the earth’s surface that makes the surface wear
away. Exogenic processes are very destructive, they are responsible for degradation and
sculpting the earth’s surface.

Exogenic Processes or Denudation

 The processes which occur on earth’s surface due to the influence of exogenic forces are
called as exogenic processes or exogenic geomorphic processes.
 Weathering, mass wasting, erosion, and deposition are the main exogenic processes.
 All the exogenic processes are covered under a general term- denudation, which means
strip off or uncover.
 The elements of nature capable of doing these exogenic processes are termed as
geomorphic agents (or exogenic geomorphic agents). E.g. the wind, water, waves etc.
 Note: A process is a force applied on earth materials affecting the same. An agent is a
mobile medium (like running water, moving ice, winds, waves etc) which removes,
transport and deposits earth materials.
 Geomorphic processes and geomorphic agents especially exogenic, unless stated
separately, are one and the same.
 Gravity and gradients are the two things which make these agents mobile.
 All the movements either within the earth or on the surface of the earth occur due
to gradients– from higher levels to lower levels, from high pressure to low pressure etc.
 The exogenic forces derive their energy from atmosphere determined by the ultimate
energy from the sun and also the gradient created by tectonic factors. We have already

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 discussed in previous articles that slopes on earth surface are mainly created by tectonic
factors or earth movements due to endogenic forces.

TYPES OF EXOGENIC PROCESSES:

1. Weathering
2. Erosion
3. Mass Wasting
4. Sedimentation

1. WEATHERING
- is the general term applied to the combined action of all processes that cause rock to
disintegrate physically and decompose chemically because of exposure near the Earth’s surface
through the elements of “weather” such as temperature, rainfall, frost, fog and ice.

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Weathering
 Weathering is the action of elements of weather and climate over earth material.
 It can be defined mechanical disintegration and chemical decomposition of rocks through
the actions of various elements of weather and climate.
 When rocks undergo weathering, some minerals are removed through chemical/ physical
leaching by ground water and thereby the concentration of remaining (valuable) minerals
increase.
 Weathering can be classified as – physical, chemical and biological:

1.1Physical Weathering
 Physical or mechanical weathering processes
depend on some applied forces.
 The applied forces could be: (i) gravitational
forces such as overburden pressure, load,
and shearing stress; (ii) expansion force due
to temperature changes, crystal growth or
animal activity; (iii) water pressure
controlled by wetting and drying cycles.
 Causes: Most of the physical weathering are
caused by thermal expansion and pressure.
 It happens
whenever rocks are broken up into smaller fragments
without any chemical change in their composition.
 This type of weathering takes place in different types
of areas.

Types of Physical Weathering

a. Block disintegration
 A successive heating and cooling which causes
the expansion and contraction of rocks.
 In hot desert regions, day temperatures are very
high while nights are very cold.
 This high diurnal range of temperature causes
successive expansion and contraction of the

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 rocks which tend to enlarge the joints. As a result the rocks disintegrate into
smaller blocks.

b. Exfoliation
 This results because of the intense heating of the rock’s
outer layers. Since rocks are poor conductors of heat, the
inner layers almost un affected by heat.
 Due to successive expansion and contraction, the outer
layers of the rock subsequently peel off from the main
mass of the rock in the form of concentric shell.

c. Frost Action
 One of the most important physical weathering processes
in cold climates.
 The alternate freezing and melting of water inside the
joints of the rocks, splits them into fragments. This is
because conversion of water to ice increases the volume of
water by 10 percent. In cold regions rocks are
disintegrated into small particles through this process.

2.2 Chemical Weathering

 Chemical weathering can be due to solution, carbonation, hydration or
oxidation/reduction.
 Chemical change in the rocks through formation of new compounds or formation of new
substances is called chemical weathering.
 There are several chemical processes included such as oxidation, hydrolysis, and acid
solution.

Types of Chemical Weathering

a. Oxidation
 The process in which atmospheric oxygen reacts
with the rock to produce oxides. The greatest
impacts of this process is observed on ferrous
minerals.

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  Oxygen present in humid air reacts with iron grains in the rock to form a yellow
or red oxide of iron. This is called rusting of the iron. Rust decomposes rocks
completely with the passage of time.

b. Carbonation
 The process by which various types of
carbonates are formed. Some of these
carbonates are soluble in water.
 For example, when rainwater
containing carbon dioxide passes
through previous limestone rocks, the rock joints enlarge due to
the action of carbonic acid. The joints enlarge in size and lime is
removed in solution.
 Carbonic acid forms from water and carbon dioxide mixing and
can dissolve feldspar and calcite found in rocks.
CO2 + H2O = H2CO2

c. Hydration
 The process by which water is absorbed by the
minerals of the rocks. Due to the absorption of water
by the rock, its volume increases and the grains lose
their shape.
 Feldspar, for example, is exchanged into kaolin
through hydration.

d. Solution
 The process in which some of the minerals get
dissolved in water. They are therefore removed in
solution. Rock salt and gypsum are removed through
this process.

3.3 Biotic Weathering

 This kind of weathering is caused by several biological activities like growth or
movements of organisms.
 They also bring conditions for physical or chemical weathering.

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  Grazing of animals, ploughing by human beings etc. are examples of biological
weathering.

Types of Biotic Weathering

a. Plants contribute to both mechanical and chemical

weathering. The roots of the plants penetrate into the joints of
the rocks.
 They grow longer and thicker. In this manner they
exert pressure on rocks and the rock joints are thereby
enlarged and break into smaller fragments.

b. Burrowing animals like earthworms, rats, rabbits, termites and ants breakdown the
rocks.
 These disintegrated rocks can
easily be eroded or removed by
wind etc. Hooves of animals
break the soil and thus assist soil
erosion.
 The role of earthworms and
termites is of special significance. According to
scientists, there is a possibility of occurrence about 150 000
earthworms in an acre and they can convert 10 to 15 tons of rock
mass into good soil and bring it to the surface.

c. Human beings play a very important role in weathering of various rocks.

 Man breaks a large a large amount of rocks in the
course of his activities, like agriculture, construction
of houses, construction of roads, among others.
 He quarries for mining minerals, thus helps in
weathering by breaking, weakening and loosening the
rocks.

2. EROSION
- It is the removal of soil at a greater rate than its replacement by natural agencies (water, wind,
etc...)

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 Different Kinds of Erosion

 Erosion by Water
Erosion by water changes the shape of coastlines. Waves constantly crash against shores. They
pound rocks into pebbles and reduce pebbles to sand. Water sometimes takes sand away from
beaches. This moves the coastline farther inland.

 Erosion by Wind
Erosion by wind carries dust, sand, and volcanic ash from one place to another. Wind can
sometimes blow sand into towering dunes.

 Erosion by Ice
Erosion by ice can erode the land. In frigid areas and on some mountaintops, glaciers move
slowly downhill and across the land. As they move, they pick up everything in their path, from
tiny grains of sand to huge boulders.

 Erosion by Gravity

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Gravity pulls any loose bits down the side of a hill or mountain. Gravity Erosion is better known
as Mass Movement.

BTTCI_ELS_MODULE 5 10
3. SEDIMENTATION
Sedimentation, in the geological sciences, process of deposition of a solid material from a state
of suspension or solution in a fluid (usually air or water). Broadly defined it also includes
deposits from glacial ice and those materials collected under the impetus of gravity alone, as in
talus deposits, or accumulations of rock debris at the base of cliffs. The term is commonly used
as a synonym for sedimentary petrology and sedimentology.

4. MASS WASTING

 Mass wasting refers to the downslope movement of rock and soil under the influence of
gravity. This is a result of Earth’s surface not being flat but instead consisting of slopes.

BTTCI_ELS_MODULE 5 11
  Mass wasting is a natural process and is considered a natural hazard. These process
become natural disasters when it leads to loss of life and property.
 Mass wasting, which is sometimes called mass movement or slope movement, is defined
as the large movement of rock, soil and debris downward due to the force of gravity. In
other words, the earth's outer crust is being 'wasted' away on a 'massive' scale and falling
to lower elevations.
 Mass wasting is a type of erosion, and it is capable of making big changes to the side of a
mountain. These changes can happen suddenly, as in one minute the rock is there and the
next it is gone, or it can happen more slowly over time. You might think of this process
as a landslide, and this term is sometimes used interchangeably with mass wasting.
However, the term landslide is a bit limiting and does not allow for a description of the
many different triggers and types of erosion that can happen on this large of a scale.

Mass Movements
 These movements transfer the mass of rock debris down the slope under the direct
influence of gravity.
 Mass movements are very active over weathered slopes rather than over unweathered
slopes.
 Usual geographic agents like running water, glaciers, wind, waves etc do not have much
role to play in mass movements, and it is the gravity, which is the main driving force.
 Mass movements are classified into slow movements and rapid movements.

Different Kinds of Mass Wasting

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 Classification of mass wasting

 There are different classifications of mass wasting based on their moisture and speed.
 The illustration classifies each example of mass wasting as controlled and triggered by
moisture (water) and speed (rate). The saturation of water destroys the cohesion of rock
particles causing them to loose.
 In addition, water also adds weight to a mass of rock particles causing them to slide or
flow downslope due to gravity. The speed of rock particles moving downward a slope
results when air becomes trapped and compressed beneath the falling mass of debris
allowing it to move as a buoyant, flexible sheet across the surface.
 Based on the type of motion, mass wasting could be generally classified as a fall, slide or
a flow.
 Fall is the free-fall movement of detached individual pieces of rock.
 Slides occur whenever rock materials remain fairly coherent and move along a well-
defined surface.
 The flow happens when rock materials are saturated with water and move downslope as a
viscous fluid.

Rock fall – the abrupt movement and free fall of loosened blocks of solid rock

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Landslide – A landslide is the movement of rock, debris or earth down a slope.

Slump – A slump is a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of
loosely consolidated materials or rock layers moves a short distance down a slope.
Movement is characterized by sliding along a concave-upward or planar surface.

Mudflow (lahar) – A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving

“very rapid to extremely rapid surging flow” of debris that has become partially or
fully liquefied by the addition of significant amounts of water to the source
material.

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Earthflow – usually starts as slump

 An earthflow (earth flow) is a downslope viscous flow of fine-grained materials that have
been saturated with water and moves under the pull of gravity. It is an intermediate types
of mass wasting that is between downhill creep and mudflow.

Solifluction – the gradual movement of wet soil or other material down a slope, especially
where frozen subsoil acts as a barrier to the percolation of water.

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Creep – is a very slow mass movement that
goes on for years or even centuries. You can’t
see creep happening but leaning fences and
poles and broken retaining walls show where
it has taken place. Some hills are covered with
long narrow steps called terracettes.
Terracettes are built by soil creep.

Summary:
 Exogenic processes include geological phenomena and processes that originate externally
to the Earth's surface. They are genetically related to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and
biosphere, and therefore to processes of weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition,
denudation etc.
 Weathering is the general term applied to the combined action of all processes that cause
rock to disintegrate physically and decompose chemically because of exposure near the
Earth’s surface through the elements of “weather” such as temperature, rainfall, frost, fog
and ice.
 The three types of weathering are: Physical Weathering; Chemical Weathering and Biotic
Weathering.
 Erosion is the removal of soil at a greater rate than its replacement by natural agencies
(water, wind, etc...)
 Sedimentation, in the geological sciences, process of deposition of a solid material from
a state of suspension or solution in a fluid (usually air or water). Broadly defined it also
includes deposits from glacial ice and those materials collected under the impetus of
gravity alone, as in talus deposits, or accumulations of rock debris at the base of cliffs.
 Mass wasting, which is sometimes called mass movement or slope movement, is defined
as the large movement of rock, soil and debris downward due to the force of gravity. In
other words, the earth's outer crust is being 'wasted' away on a 'massive' scale and falling
to lower elevations.

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Evaluation: Complete Table 1 and 2. Write your answer in 1 whole sheet of paper.
Table 1

1.___________ 2._____________________

Meander 3._____________________

4.___________ Depositional

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Table 2. Different Kinds of Mass Wasting
Motion Common Typical
Material Speed
Fall, Flow,
Creep, Effect
Soil, Rock, Ice
Avalanche, and Snow,
Slide, Slump, Earth, Debris Slow or Fast
or Solifluction or mud

Creep 6._________ 7._________

8._________ 9._________ Slow

10.________ 11.________ 12.________

13.________ 14.________ Fast

Slump
(Rotational 15.________ 16.________
Slide)

17.________ 18.________ 19.________

Debris or
20.________ Fast
mud
References:
https://www.clearias.com/exogenic-forces/
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-387-29293-4_14
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/goatkell/rocks-minerals-15180147
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/adryanval/earth-life-science-endogenic-processes-week-6
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/danielasiengelladula/exogenic-processes-78920091
https://hkss.cedd.gov.hk/hkss/eng/education/GS/eng/hkg/chapter1.html
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocplayer.net%2F41383490-Physical-geography-exam-3-
ch-12-14-study-guide.html&psig=AOvVaw15d-
CShlcrZKB4HAkdALoV&ust=1598579149225000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNj21fChuusCF
QAAAAAdAAAAABAt
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.aglasem.com%2Fview%2Fcf81724c-bb58-11e9-
883a-02f21f5619c4&psig=AOvVaw15d-
CShlcrZKB4HAkdALoV&ust=1598579149225000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNj21fChuusCF
QAAAAAdAAAAABBV
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geologyin.com%2F2015%2F02%2Ftypes-of-wasting-
slump-rockslide-
debris.html&psig=AOvVaw15ezWu3i_9u855fzA2nd6D&ust=1598580335357000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0C
AIQjRxqFwoTCMDE0PqluusCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAn

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