Geography - 2) Lithosphere - 2
Geography - 2) Lithosphere - 2
Geography - 2) Lithosphere - 2
in
UNIT Lithosphere – II
Exogenetic Processes
2
Learning Objectives
Exogenetic Process
Weathering
and Mass Gradation
Movement
Physical weathering
Block Disintegration:
It is the breakdown of rocks without changing
their chemical composition, through the Repeated expansion and contraction of
action of physical forces. The constant rocks during day and night respectively
freezing and thawing of rocks during the causes stress on the joints of the rocks
night and day leads to the expansion and which results in block disintegration
contraction of rocks. Cracks are formed and
disintegration occurs eventually. Exfoliation,
block disintegration, granular disintegration
etc., are the different types of weathering.
Exfoliation
The alternate heating and cooling on
rounded rock surfaces leads to the peeling
of rocks, layer by layer like an onion.
Hots
This is called exfoliation. Sheeting
and shattering are the other forms of Is weathering a pre-requisite in the
exfoliation. formation of soil?
Oxidation
Oxygen in the atmosphere reacts with
the iron found in rocks, thus leads to the
formation of iron oxide. This process is
known as oxidation, which results in the 2 Gradation
weakening of rocks. Gradation is the process of levelling of
the land by means of natural agents like
Carbonation rivers, ground water, winds, glaciers, and
sea waves. These agents produce various
Carbonation is the mixing of water with gradational relief features in due course of
the atmospheric carbon-dioxide, forming time. Gradation takes place in two ways:
carbonic acid. Carbonation is important degradation and aggradation
in the formation of caves, in limestone
Water fall
Meander Estuary
Source of river
Tributary
Flood Plain
Delta
Ox bow Lake
h
out
er M
Sea
Riv
Ox bow lake
Meanders in due course of time become
almost a complete circle with narrow necks.
This in turn gets abandoned and forms a
lake. This is called an Ox-bow lake.
rosional Landforms of
E Sinkhole
Underground Water A funnel shaped depressions formed due
Most of erosion takes place due to the to dissolution of limestone rock is called
process of solution. When rain water sinkholes. Their average depth ranges
mixes with carbon-di- oxide and enters between three and nine meters
into a limestone region, it dissolves and
destroys much of the limestone. As a result,
landforms such as Terra rossa, Lappies,
sinkholes, swallow holes, dolines, uvalas,
poljes, caves and caverns are formed.
Glaciers:
A Glacier is a large mass
of ice that moves slowly
over the land, from its
place of accumulation. It
is also known as ‘River
of ice’. The place of
accumulation is called
snowfield. The height above which there
cave is a permanent snow cover in the higher
altitude or latitude is called snowline.
Fact Higher the latitude, lower the snowline
from sea level.
GeoConnect
Cave insects lose their senses of Hots
sight and develop extraordinary long Snowline of Alps is 2700 metre where
antenna to compensate the loss of sight as the snowline of Greenland is just
600 metre. Find out the reason.
Depositional Landforms
Underground Water
It is interesting to know that a variety of
depositional features are formed on the Activity
floor, ceiling and walls of the caves and Fake Snow
caverns of the Karst Topography.
Materials needed
Stalactite, Stalagmite * Cup of Baking Soda
and Column * Shaving Cream
When the water containing dissolved
Method
calcite gradually drips from the ceiling
of the caves, water evaporates and the * Pour one cup of baking soda
remaining calcite hangs from the ceiling. * Spray the shaving cream
Thus Stalactites are formed. When the
calcite deposits rises upward like a pillar The snow will start forming almost
Stalagmites are formed. Sometimes, immediately.
Stalactites and Stalagmites meet together
to form Columns and Pillars.
The gradual transformation of snow these glacial features are predominantly seen
into granular ice is called ‘firn’ or ‘ neve’ in countries like Switzerland, Norway etc.,
and finally it becomes solid glacial ice.
Cirque
Movement of Glacier The glacier erodes the steep side walls of the
The large mass of ice creates pressure at its mountain and forms a bowl-shaped armchair
bottom and generates heat. Due to this, the like depression, it is termed as Cirque
glacier melts a little and starts to move .The
rate of movement of a glacier varies from a few Arete
centimetres to several hundred meters a day. Aretes are narrow ridges formed when two
The movement of glaciers depends on slope, cirque walls joined together back to back,
volume of the glacier, thickness, roughness at and forms narrow knife like ridges.
the bottom (friction) etc., and Temperature.
Like the rivers, glaciers also carry out erosion, Matterhorn
transportation and deposition.
The pyramidal peaks formed when three
or more cirques meet together, are referred
Types of Glacier as Matterhorns.
Glaciers are broadly divided into two types
based on the place of occurrence, such as U-Shaped Valley
Continental glacier and valley glacier. When the glacier moves down along a
river valley, the valley further gets eroded
Erosional Landforms of glacier deep and wide to form a ‘U’ shaped valley.
Glaciers are powerful erosive agents. Some Hots
of the important erosional landforms are
Cirque, Aretes, Matterhorn, U-shaped Glaciers do not form deep narrow
valley, Hanging valley, Fiords etc., Most of valleys. Why?
Types of Glaciers
Glacial
trough
Outwash Plain
An outwash plain consists of glacial
sediments deposited by the melting ice
at the terminus of a glacier. It appears as
an extensive accumulation of sand, gravel
and silt.
Moraine
Activity
Landforms formed by the glacial deposits
of valley or continental glaciers are termed Discuss in a small groups about the
as moraines. They are of various shapes effects of global warming.
Wind
When air blows horizontally at or near
the earth’s surface is called wind.
The erosional, transportational and
depositional action of wind is predominant
in arid regions. This is called as Aeolian
Process.
Transverse Dunes
Transverse dunes are asymmetrical in
shape. They are formed by alternate slow
and fast winds that blow from the same
direction.
Wave
A steady up (crest) and down (trough)
movement of surface water are called
waves. Sea waves are the most powerful
agents of gradation and their erosional,
transportational and depositional
processes are confined to a very narrow
belt along coastal areas.
Sea Cave
Beach
Prolonged wave attack on the base of a
Sand and gravel are moved and deposited
cliff erodes rock materials, which result in
by waves along the shore to form beaches.
the formation of caves.
This is the most dominant and constructive
work of the sea. (Eg.) Juhu beach along
Sea Arch Mumbai coast, Puri beach in Odisha and
When two caves approach one Marina beach in Chennai.
another from either side of a headland
and unite, they form an arch. (Eg.) Neil
Island, Andaman and Nicobar. Do you remember?
Major land forms
• First order land form - continents and
oceans. • Second order land form –
Mountains, plateaus and plains in both
continents and oceans.
Minor Land Forms
Third order land forms – deltas, fjords
coasts, sand dunes, beaches valleys,
cirques, Mushroom rocks, limestone
caves.
Sea Stack
Bar
Further erosion by waves ultimately
leads to the total collapse of the arch. The A bar is an elongated deposit of sand,
seaward portion of the headland will shingle or mud found in the sea, almost
remain as a pillar of rock known as stack. parallel to the shoreline.
Eg the Old man of Hoy in Scotland.
Sea Cliffs
Sea cliffs are steep rock faces formed when
sea waves dash against them. The rocks
get eroded to form steep vertical walls.
Spit
Gradation — leveling of the Earth’s
A spit is a ridge or embankment of surface by natural agents.
sediment, attached to the land on one Landslides — rapid downward
end and terminating in open water on the movement of a rock mass
other end. Spits are common at the mouth
Erosion — t he process in which
of estuaries. Eg. Kakinada spit
earth's surface is worn away, often by
water, wind or ice.
Delta — the triangular depositional
features of the river at its mouth.
Meanders — the curving motion of
the river in its middle course.
terminus — End of a glacier
Headland — A coastal landform that
extends out into a nearby waterbody
Recap EXERCISE
Levelling of uneven landform is
called gradation.
Weathering is the breaking down I. Choose the best answer:
of the rocks.
1. The disintegration or decomposition
Physical, chemical and biological of rocks is generally called as
are the three types of weathering. a. weathering
Weathered rock materials carried b. erosion
away by gravity is called mass c. transportation
movement. d. deposition
Running water, glacier, 2. The process of the levelling up of
underground water, wind and land by means of natural agents.
waves are agents of weathering. a. aggradation
Soil is the top covering of the earth’s b. degradation
surface formed by weathering. c. gradation
d. none
GLOSSARY 3. is seen in the lower
course of the river.
Weathering — the disintegration or
a. Rapids b. Alluvial fan
decomposition of solid rocks
c. Delta d. Gorges
Aggradations — process through
which low lying areas are elevated 4. Karst topography is formed due to
the action of
Degradation — process of lowering
a. Glacier b. Wind
of highlands by wearing them down
c. Sea waves d. Ground water.
2. Lithosphere – II Exogenetic Processes 120
5. Which one of the following is not a 3. Mention the three courses of a river
depositional feature of a glacier? with any two land forms associated
a. cirque b. Moraines to each course.
c. Drumlins d. Eskers 4. What are ox-bow lakes?
6. Deposits of fine silt blown by wind is 5. How does a cave differ from a sea
called as arch?
a. Loess b. Barchans 6. List out any four karst topographical
areas found in India.
c. Hamada d. Ripples
7. What do you mean by a hanging
7. Stacks are formed by valley?
a. Wave erosion 8. Define: a) Moraine b) Drumlin
b. River erosion c) Esker.
c. Glacial erosion 9. Mention the various features formed
d. Wind deposion by wind erosion.
8. erosion is responsible 10. What are wave cut platforms?
for the formation of cirque
a. wind b. glacial IV. Distinguish between:
i 1. ‘I’ Shaped valley is an erosional course are wider than the upper
feature of the river course.
2. ‘U’ Shaped valley is an erosional
feature of the glacier IX. Map Skill:
3. ‘V’ Shaped valley is an erosional On the given outline map of the world,
feature of the glacier mark the following.
a. i, ii & iii are right 1. Any two deltas
b. i & ii are right 2. A Karst region
c. i & iii are right 3. Any two hot and cold deserts
d. only I is right 4. An area of continental glaciers.
ii Statement I: Running water is an
important agent of gradation X. Give geographical terms for
Statement II: The work of the river
the following:
depends on the slop of land on which
if flows a. Chemical alternation of carbonate
a. Statement I is false II is true rocks on lime stone region.
b. Flat surfaces near cliffs.
b. Statement I and II are false
c. Erosion + Transportation +
c. Statement I is true II is false Deposition =
d. Statement I and II are true d. The bottom line of a snow field.
iii Statement: Limestone regions have e. Valley cut by glaciers.
less underground water.
Reason: Water does not percolate INTERNET RESOURCES
through limestone
1. www.usgs.gov.in
a. The statement is right reason
is wrong. 2. www.nasa.gov.in
b.
The statement is wrong 3. https://www.isro.gov.in
Reason is right. 4. https://www.india.gov.in