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Geomorphic processes

10/10/2017

Geomorphology: the study of landforms, their origins, evolution, form and distribution.

The lithosphere is the outer shell of the earth, consisting of soil and geological formations. The earth is made up of different section: the core, the inner core, the outer core and the crust. Study of the lithosphere is primarily concerned with the crust.

The two sets of forces which shape the earth’s crust are tectonic forces (continental drift and plate movement at a smaller scale), and gradational forces (weathering, erosion, deposition and mass movement).

Landforms can be shaped in a number of ways:

By water – through the processes of hydraulic action, abrasion, and corrosion
By wind – through the processes of abrasion and deflation
By ice – through continual erosion and deposition, abrasion.

Click to read Mystery island in the Southern Pacific brimming with life.

Slip, Slide Colide
Click to play Slip, Slide Collide

Volcanoes

Volcanoes involve the process of molten rock from the mantle being forced up onto the earth’s surface, building continents.

Folding

Fold mountains like the Himalayas, form when the Earth’s plates crunch into each other, and layers of the crust are pushed up into loops and bumps.

Earthquakes

When two plates come together, folding and faulting can occur which can cause earthquakes (see above). Earthquakes occur as a result of movement between sections of the earth’s crust. They commonly occur along fault lines and along plate boundaries. Sections of tectonic plates can be forced upwards exposing new sections.

Converging plates

When plates come together (or converge) underwater trenches and volcanoes can be formed.

Faulting - Block mountains

Block mountains are made when part of the crust is forced up between two cracks in a plate. These cracks are called faults.

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