Home›Physical Processes›All Physical ProcessesBrowse ByAll Physical ProcessesReference and ClassificationVerifiedPhysical processes are the earth's own natural mechanisms, the forces of erosion, tectonics, ice, climate, water and soil formation that shape landforms and bodies of water over time rather than a place in its own right, grouped here by which physical-geography subdiscipline studies the mechanism, geomorphology, tectonics and volcanism, glaciology, climatology, hydrology and oceanography, or pedology and biogeochemistry. Belongs here: a named natural process or cycle this atlas tracks as its own subject. Does not belong here: the landform or body of water a process shapes, held under those separate entity types, or a specific historical event such as one eruption or one earthquake, which belongs to history rather than to the general process that produced it.FactsAll Physical ProcessesSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsComparisonStudied By DisciplineWell-attestedPhysical Geography 1All Physical ProcessesFilter Results244 entriesSubdisciplineAllAtmospheric and Climatic Processes (World) (47)Biogeochemical and Pedological Processes (World) (31)Geomorphology (World) (57)Glacial and Periglacial Processes (World) (33)Hydrological and Oceanic Processes (World) (34)Tectonics and Volcanism (World) (42)Process NatureAllAtmospheric Circulation (35)Biogeochemical or Pedological (28)Climatic (13)Coastal (7)Fluvial (17)Geomorphological (37)Glacial (25)Hydrological (24)Oceanic (17)Tectonic (41)TimescaleAllAbout 12 hours and 25.2 minutes, half a tidal lunar day (1)About 30 minutes for a thunderstorm convective cycle (1)About one year per event, recurring every two to seven years (1)Approximately 1000 years transit time for the oldest waters (1)Decades to centuries (documented retreat since 1850) (1)Deep-water wind waves have a period up to about 20 seconds (1)Episodic, driven by intense rainfall or snowmelt events (1)Geologic time scales (1)Gradual, slow downslope movement (1)India-Asia collision ongoing for about 50 million years (1)Many thousands of years (1)sub-annual to decadal (1)years to decades for a lava flow to fully solidify (1)Caused ByAllAeolian Processes (5)Atmospheric Circulation (4)Atmospheric Convection (3)Bioaccumulation (1)Chemical Weathering (1)Cloud Formation (1)Condensation (2)Coriolis Effect (2)Crustal Extension (1)Deposition and Sedimentation (4)Effusive Eruption (1)Erosion (2)Evaporation (3)Explosive Eruption (2)Faulting (1)Flooding (1)Fluvial Erosion (6)Frost Heave (1)Geothermal Activity (1)Glacial Advance (1)Glacial Deposition (5)Glacial Erosion (6)Glacial Retreat (1)Glaciation (2)Glacier Mass Balance (1)Groundwater Flow (5)Hadley Cell Circulation (1)Headward Erosion (2)Ice Sheet Dynamics (1)Infiltration (1)Karstification (2)Longshore Drift (1)Magmatism (2)Mantle Convection (1)Nutrient Cycling (1)Orogeny (1)Orographic Lift (2)Plate Tectonics (2)River Meandering (1)Seismogenesis (1)Sheet Erosion (2)Streamflow (1)Subduction (1)Supercell Formation (1)Surface Runoff (2)The Carbon Cycle (1)Thunderstorm Formation (5)Tidal Action (1)Tropical Cyclone Formation (1)Volcanism (2)Wave Erosion (2)Weathering (7)Part OfAllAtmospheric Circulation (7)Chemical Weathering (1)Coastal Processes (3)Deposition and Sedimentation (1)Effusive Eruption (3)Erosion (1)Explosive Eruption (5)Faulting (3)Fluvial Erosion (1)Glacial Deposition (1)Glacial Erosion (1)Glaciation (6)Isostasy (1)Mass Wasting (5)Mechanical Weathering (3)Nitrogen Cycle (2)Nutrient Cycling (6)Ocean Circulation and Currents (7)Pedogenesis (8)Permafrost and Periglacial Processes (6)Plate Tectonics (12)Rock Cycle (7)The Carbon Cycle (3)Thunderstorm Formation (1)Volcanism (2)Water Cycle (9)Weathering (3)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 44SlumpingGeomorphologySoil CreepGeomorphologySoil LeachingBiogeochemical and Pedological ProcessesSoil MineralizationBiogeochemical and Pedological ProcessesSoil PipingGeomorphologySolifluctionGlacial and Periglacial ProcessesSolution WeatheringGeomorphologySouthern Annular ModeAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesSpeleogenesisGeomorphologySpring FormationHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesSquall Line FormationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesStorm SurgeHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesStreamflowHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesStrike-Slip FaultingTectonics and VolcanismStrombolian EruptionTectonics and VolcanismSubductionTectonics and VolcanismSulfur CycleBiogeochemical and Pedological ProcessesSupercell FormationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesSupercontinent CycleTectonics and VolcanismSurface RunoffHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesSurtseyan EruptionTectonics and VolcanismTemperature InversionAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesTerrane AccretionTectonics and VolcanismThe Carbon CycleBiogeochemical and Pedological ProcessesThermocline FormationHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesThermohaline CirculationHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesThermokarstGlacial and Periglacial ProcessesThunderstorm FormationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesTidal ActionHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesTidal Bore FormationHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesTornado FormationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesTrade Wind CirculationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesTropical Cyclone FormationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesTsunami GenerationHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesUpwellingHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesUrban Heat Island EffectAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesVentifact FormationGeomorphologyVolcanismTectonics and VolcanismVulcanian EruptionTectonics and VolcanismWater CycleHydrological and Oceanic ProcessesWave ErosionGeomorphologyWeather Front FormationAtmospheric and Climatic ProcessesWeatheringGeomorphologyYardang FormationGeomorphology← Previous123Sources1. Geography - Wikipediatier 2WikipediaBranches of geography sentence, physical sideQuote, Branches of geography sentence, physical sideSome publications limit the number of branches to physical and human, describing them as the principal branches.View the SourceRill Erosion (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Rill ErosionView the SourceSoil Piping (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Soil PipingView the SourceBank Erosion (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Bank ErosionView the SourceOxbow Lake Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Oxbow Lake FormationView the SourceKnickpoint Retreat (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Knickpoint RetreatView the SourceRiver Capture (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: River CaptureView the SourceCirque Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Cirque FormationView the SourceArete Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Arete FormationView the SourceRoche Moutonnee Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Roche Moutonnee FormationView the SourceGlacial Plucking (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Glacial PluckingView the SourcePingo Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Pingo FormationView the SourceFreeze-Thaw Weathering (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Freeze-Thaw WeatheringView the SourceNormal Faulting (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Normal FaultingView the SourceReverse Faulting (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Reverse FaultingView the SourceStrike-Slip Faulting (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Strike-Slip FaultingView the SourcePlinian Eruption (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Plinian EruptionView the SourceStrombolian Eruption (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Strombolian EruptionView the SourceLava Dome Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Lava Dome FormationView the SourceIsland Arc Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Island Arc FormationView the SourceSupercontinent Cycle (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Supercontinent CycleView the SourceIndian Ocean Dipole (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Indian Ocean DipoleView the SourcePacific Decadal Oscillation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Pacific Decadal OscillationView the SourceMadden-Julian Oscillation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Madden-Julian OscillationView the SourceSouthern Annular Mode (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Southern Annular ModeView the SourceQuasi-Biennial Oscillation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Quasi-Biennial OscillationView the SourcePolar Vortex Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Polar Vortex FormationView the SourceAtmospheric River Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Atmospheric River FormationView the SourceDerecho Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Derecho FormationView the SourceDrought Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Drought FormationView the SourceSaltwater Intrusion (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Saltwater IntrusionView the SourceOcean Gyre Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Ocean Gyre FormationView the SourceSea Ice Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Sea Ice FormationView the SourceThermocline Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Thermocline FormationView the SourceTidal Bore Formation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Tidal Bore FormationView the SourceIlluviation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: IlluviationView the SourceEluviation (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: EluviationView the SourceSilicon Cycle (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationContains: Silicon CycleView the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. 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