External Geological Agents of Earth
摘要
There is a constant change on the earth surface brought by various external geological processes acting upon it, mainly driven by solar energy from the Sun and natural gravitational force of the earth. These processes include denudation, including weathering, erosion, and transportation, and deposition, through geological agents, such as wind, rivers, glaciers, lakes, oceans, underground water, and gravity. Change in the land relief and formation of various landforms seen on the earth surface are the resultant of these processes. The aeolian landforms, namely desert pavement, pediment, and pediplain, deflation basin or blowouts, mushroom rock, yardang, ventifact, inselberg or monadnock, etc., are formed due to erosion while Sand Dune, Ripple, Draa, Ergs or Sand Sea, and Loess features are the result of deposition by wind. Different types of valleys, gulleys, potholes, waterfalls, drainage, meanders, oxbow lakes, pools, riffles, etc., are formed due to erosion, while braided rivers, levees, alluvial fans, pediments, peneplains, pediplains, terraces, flood plains, river delta, marshes, etc., are formed due to deposition by rivers. Karst topography and its related features on the surface and below are formed due to action by underground water. Coastal landforms, such as Sea cliffs, Sea arches, Sea stakes, Sea caves, and blow holes are formed due to erosional action while Shoreface, Beach, Coastal dunes, spit. Bay Bars and Barriers, Lagoons, Barrier Islands, Tombolo, Tidal Flats, Tidal Marsh, Sabkha or salt flat, Island, etc., are formed due to deposition by the oceanic waves. Cirques, U-Shaped Valleys, Hanging valleys, Bergschrunds, Grooves, Striations and Polished surfaces are the landforms created by the erosional effect by the glaciers while, moraines, drumlins, glacial flutes, glacial erratics, outwash plains or sandur, eskers kames, meltwater channels, kettles, glacier lake, lacustrine plain, permafrost landforms, etc., are formed by the depositional characteristics of the glaciers in its different stages.