Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Region 1

SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE URDANETA CITY

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

EARTH SCIENCE
NAME:
SECTION:
DATE:

ACTIVITY NO. 11
EXOGENIC PROCESSES

OBJECTIVES: (name at least 2 )

1.
2.

MATERIALS: (list of relevant things used in the report)

References: textbook on Earth Science
google

PROCEDURES:
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:
1. What is meant by exogenic process?
2. What are the different exogenic processes?
Give a brief description of each of these processes.
3. Rocks undergo weathering. Describe the different processes under the following types of weathering:
a. Mechanical weathering
b. Chemical weathering
4. Name and describe the different agents of erosion

DATA AND RESULTS: (answers to the questions)

Exogenic processes include geological phenomena and processes that originate externally to the earth’s surface. It is
driven by exogenic forces that primarily derive their energy from solar radiation and 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.

Weathering, erosion, mass-wasting, and depositional processes occur at or near the Earth‟s surface and produce
changes to the landscape that influence surface and subsurface topography and landform development.

Weathering is the physical disintegration or chemical alteration of rocks at or near the Earth‟s surface.

Erosion is the physical removal and transportation of weathered material by water, wind, ice, or gravity.

Mass wasting is the transfer or movement of rock or soil down slope primarily by gravity.
Deposition is the process by which weathered and eroded materials are laid down or placed in a location that is
different from their source.

These processes are all very important to the rock cycle because over geologic time weathering, erosion, and mass
wasting transform solid rock into sediments and soil that result in the redeposition of material forming new
sedimentary rocks.
Mechanical weathering, also called physical weathering and disaggregation, causes rocks to crumble into
smaller pieces. These smaller pieces are just like the bigger rock, just smaller. That means the rock has
changed physically without changing its composition. The smaller pieces have the same minerals, in just the
same proportions as the original rock.There are many ways that rocks can be broken apart into smaller
pieces. Examples of mechanical weathering processes include:

Frost wedging—the shattering, fracturing, and moving rock and soil caused by the expansion of
freezing water turning into ice. Frost wedging is a major force in seasonally wet regions where
daytime temperatures rise above freezing and sink below freezing at night.

Unloading—expansion of compressed rocks (previously deeply buried) by the removal of

overburden, allowing rocks to expand and fracture, commonly resulting in the sheeting off of
layers of rocks.

Exfoliation—joints or sheet joints are surface-parallel fracture systems in rock often leading to
erosion of concentric slabs.

Thermal expansion—expansion and contraction caused by daily heating and cooling, particularly
effective in arid environments. Heat from wildfires can also cause thermal expansion and break
down rocks by driving out steam and gases trapped in rocks and soil.

Biological activity—breakdown and movement of rock and soil caused by expanding tree roots,
burrowing, feeding activity, etc.

Ice wedging, also called freeze-thaw weathering, is the main form of mechanical weathering in any climate
that regularly cycles above and below the freezing point. Abrasionis another form of mechanical weathering.
In abrasion, one rock bumps against another rock.

Now that you know what mechanical weathering is, can you think of other ways it could happen?
Plants and animals can do the work of mechanical weathering. This could happen slowly as a plant’s
roots grow into a crack or fracture in rock and gradually grow larger, wedging open the crack.
Burrowing animals can also break apart rock as they dig for food or to make living spaces for
themselves.

Mechanical weathering increases the rate of chemical weathering. As rock breaks into smaller pieces,
the surface area of the pieces increases. With more surfaces exposed, there are more surfaces on
which chemical weathering can occur.

Weathering cannot even begin until these rocks are uplifted through various processes of
mountain building — most of which are related to plate tectonics — and the overlying material
has been eroded away and the rock is exposed as an outcrop. When a mass of rock is exposed by
weathering and removal of the overlying rock, there is a decrease in the confining pressure on the
rock, and the rock expands. This unloading promotes cracking of the rock, known as exfoliation.
Frost wedging is the process by which water seeps into cracks in a rock, expands on freezing, and
thus enlarges the cracks (Figure 5.5). The effectiveness of frost wedging is related to the frequency
of freezing and thawing. When salt water seeps into rocks and then evaporates on a hot sunny
day, salt crystals grow within cracks and pores in the rock. The growth of these crystals exerts
pressure on the rock and can push grains apart, causing the rock to weaken and break. Salt
weathering can also occur away from the coast, because most environments have some salt in
them. The effects of plants and animals are significant in mechanical weathering. Roots can force
their way into even the tiniest cracks, and then they exert tremendous pressure on the rocks as
they grow, widening the cracks and breaking the rock (Figure 5.8). Although animals do not
normally burrow through solid rock, they can excavate and remove huge volumes of soil, and thus
expose the rock to weathering by other mechanisms.

Mechanical weathering involves all processes that collectively break rocks into smaller pieces.
Examples include breaking rocks by water expansion during freezing in cracks, plant root
expansion, all forms of mass wasting, and rock particles breaking as they tumble down hillsides
and stream beds during floods or get battered by wave action along a shoreline.

Chemical weathering is the other important type of weathering. This type of weathering changes
the molecular structure of rocks and soil and involves the breakdown (decomposition, decay, and
dissolution) of rock by chemical means. Water is the most important agent of chemical
weathering. Dissolution is the action or process of dissolving or being dissolved, moving soluble
components of materials into solution. Leaching is the process of dissolving and removing the
soluble constituents of soil or rock near the land's surface.

Chemical weathering involves a variety of chemical reactions including hydrolysis, hydration,

oxidation, and carbonation.
* Hydrolysis is the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water.
* Hydration is the process of combining with water to a molecule.
* Oxidation is the process of combining elements with oxygen ions. A mineral that is exposed to
air may undergo oxidation.
* Carbonation is saturation with carbon dioxide (as soda water).
Decaying organic matter releases carbonation and organic acids that enhance the chemical
reactivity between rocks and groundwater.

Chemical weathering is the other important type of weathering. Chemical weathering is different from
mechanical weathering because the rock changes, not just in size of pieces, but in composition. That is, one
type of mineral changes into a different mineral. Chemical weathering works through chemical reactions that
cause changes in the minerals.Most minerals form at high pressure or high temperatures deep in the crust, or
sometimes in the mantle. When these rocks reach the Earth’s surface, they are now at very low temperatures
and pressures. This is a very different environment from the one in which they formed and the minerals are no
longer stable. In chemical weathering, minerals that were stable inside the crust must change to minerals that
are stable at Earth’s surface.Remember that the most common minerals in Earth’s crust are the silicate
minerals. Many silicate minerals form in igneous or metamorphic rocks deep within the earth. The minerals that
form at the highest temperatures and pressures are the least stable at the surface. Clay is stable at the surface
and chemical weathering converts many minerals to clay. There are many types of chemical weathering
because there are many agents of chemical weathering. Water is the most important agent of chemical
weathering. Two other important agents of chemical weathering are carbon dioxide and oxygen.

The process known as weathering breaks up rocks so that they can be carried away by the
process known as erosion. Water, wind, ice, and gravity are the agents of erosion that wear
away at the surface of the Earth.

Water Erosion
Water is the most important erosional agent and erodes most commonly as running water in
streams. Water collecting on the surface of the soil collects as it moves towards tiny rivulets
and streams and creates sheet erosion.
Wind Erosion
Erosion by wind is known as aeolian (or eolian) erosion (named after Aeolus, the Greek god of
winds) and occurs almost always in deserts. Wind is a powerful agent of erosion. Aeolian (wind-
driven) processes constantly transport dust, sand, and ash from one place to another.

Ice Erosion
Ice, usually in the form of glaciers, can erode the earth and create dramatic landforms. Rocks carried
by glaciers scrape against the ground below, eroding both the ground and the rocks. In this way,
glaciers grind up rocks and scrape away the soil.

Mass Wasting (gravity): Gravity pulls all things toward Earth’s center. The result of these “creeps” or
“avalanches” will be mixed piles of sediments usually below slumps in the land.

https://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/pdfs/education/Weathering%20and%20Erosion.pdf
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/geophysical/chapter/weathering-processes/
https://gotbooks.miracosta.edu/earth_science/chapter9.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/erosion/