Final answer:
The direct result of removing an overlying weight from the landscape is often exfoliation, which involves the expansion and fracturing of underlying rock layers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Removing an overlying weight from the landscape might directly result in exfoliation. This process occurs when underlying rock layers expand and fracture parallel to the surface as the pressure from the overlying material is reduced. Such an event can happen, for example, when a glacier retreats and leaves behind bare rock or when a landslide uncovers an area of bare rock. The relief of pressure allows for the expansion and eventual flaking or peeling of rock layers, much like the peeling of layers from an onion.