Relief is characterized as a set of variations in the level of the earth's surface. You relief forming agents are responsible for a continuous and dynamic process in morphological transformation, being classified as internal agents (tectonism, earthquakes and volcanism) and external agents (wind, rain, snow, temperature changes, living beings, etc.).
At tectonic plates they are in constant movement, a fact that can trigger the collision between different plates, as long as they are in a convergence zone. This phenomenon is one of the consequences of the endogenous (internal) forces of the planet, acting decisively in the formation and shaping of the relief.
Internal agents bring about the elevation of certain areas and the demotion of others. Tectonism, characterized by the movement of the earth's crust, alters the rocks, which can suffer wrinkles, modifying the relief. You volcanoes they allow magma (liquid material from the Earth's mantle) to reach the Earth's surface, acting as a relief modeling agent.
External forces, also called exogenous forces, have a very important role in the formation of the relief, as well as internal forces. Physical weathering acts in the process of "wearing out" of rock surfaces. This phenomenon consists of the alteration of rocks due to the alternation of temperature, in which heat causes the rocks to dilate; and cold, contraction. The repetition of this process for years shapes the relief.
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Rain and river waters, snow and wind are also agents that shape relief. Water can change the composition of rocks, causing chemical weathering. With this, the disaggregation of the rocks occurs, which can break or trigger erosion. The action of the winds also contributes to the acceleration of this process.
However, currently man is the main responsible for changes in relief. The expansion of urban areas, the construction of highways, excavation for mineral exploration, among so many other anthropic activities act significantly in the formation and shaping of the relief.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira and. "Relief forming agents"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/agentes-formadores-relevo.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
Based on your knowledge of the dynamics of land relief transformation, list the second column according to the first, identifying the classification of each of the transformation.
