Endogenous and exogenous facts for kids
The Earth is shaped by many different geological processes. The forces that cause these processes come from both above and beneath the Earth's surface. Processes that are caused by forces from within the Earth are endogenous processes. By contrast, exogenous processes come from forces on or above the Earth's surface. Endo is a prefix meaning "in" while Exo is a prefix meaning "out".
There are three main endogenous processes: folding, faulting and volcanism. They take place mainly along the plate boundaries, which are the zones that lay on the edges of plates. These zones are weak. Endogenous processes cause many major landform features.
Many exogenous (extra-terrestrial) forces are as a result of other bodies in space. For example, the Moon causes tides in the Earth's oceans and other big bodies of water. Impacts from comets and meteoroids change the surface of the Earth. When they strike the Earth, they create craters which are holes, which can be very big or small, in the ground. Radiation from the Sun can cause aurorae, which are lights that can be seen at night near the poles.
An example of an exogenous process that is not as a result of bodies in space is erosion. Erosion happens as a result of wind, water, ice, or people, animals, or plants digging in the Earth. Some other examples of exogenous process are rainfall, snowfall, hailstorm, erosion ,tsunamis, avalanches, winds, wave currents etc.
