Exogenic Processes
Solifluction
"Soil flow" ; when soil is saturated with water the soggy mass may flow downslope at a rate of a few mm
Climate
Ex. Frequency of freeze-thaw cycle greatly affect amount of frost wedging
Rock fall
Individual blocks of rock drop suddenly and fall freely down
Creep
Involves gradual downhill movement
Exfoliation
Is the process in which layers of sheets of rock gradually break off
Lahar
It occurs on active volcanos
Rockslide
Large mass of rock slides down; by earthquake
Creep
Slowest form of mass movement of soil / debris
Rate of movement (fast)
Slumps, rockfall, rockslide, mudflow, earthflow
Rills
Tiny Channels
mechanical weathering
Breaking down of rocks by physical forces without changing their composition
chemical weathering
Breaking down of rocks with change in chemical composition
Salt Crystal Growth
Common Settings: rocky shorelines and arid regions
mud flow
Consist of debris with large amount of water
Slumps
Construction has made slopes unstable
Rate of movement(slow)
Creep, solifluction
Gullies
Deeper cuts in the soil which are being created when rills become enlarged
Rock Composition
Different kinds of rocks break down at different areas
Example of mass wasting
Earthquake
Slumps
Triggered by heavy rain
Slumps
Type of masa movement that you are most likely to see evidence of
Slumps
Type of mass wasting on hilly land
Differential weathering
Variation in scale
Agents of weathering
Water, plants, ice, animals, acids, changes in temperature, salt
Fall
When the movement involves the free falling of detached individual pieces of any size
frost wedging
When water freezes in the cracks and pores of rocks the force of its expansion
Soil Erosion
A natural process
Oxidation
A process in which a mineral decomposes when it reacts with oxygen like the rusting of iron
Dissolution
A process in which a mineral or rock dissolves in water forming a solution like halite(rock salt) dissolved in water
Type of motion
Fall, slide, flow
Earth flow
Forms a tongue or teardrop shaped mass that flows downslope
Mass waisting
Gravity pulls material downward ; can occur suddenly or gradually
Mass waisting triggering event
Heavy rains, over steepened slopes, removal of vegetation and earthquakes
exogenic processes
Include geological phenomena and processes that originate externally to the earth's surface
Flow
Occur when material moves downslope as a viscous fluid
Slides
Occur whenever materials remains fairly coherent and moves along a well-defined surface
Earth flow
Often form on hillsides in humid areas during times of heavy precipitation
Mud flow
Often happen in mountain canyons and valleys after heavy rain
sheet erosion
Process in which soil is moved by thin sheets
Exfoliation
Sometimes called onion-skin weathering
Exogenic Processes
To processes of weathering, erosion, trasportation, deposition, denulation, etc.
biological activity
The activity of organisms, including plants, burrowing animals, and humans, can also cause mechanical weathering
Weathering
The breakdown or dissolving of rocks and minerals on earth surface
Sheeting
The layer, or sheet, tends to break off of the rock
Surface area
The more of a rock's surface that is exposed to air and water, faster the rock will break down
Abrasion
The process of weathering down by friction (the rubbing of one object or surface against another)