How does weathering, mass movement & erosion shape the environment?
The environment is a product of the geology and the climate: The landforms that you see are almost all shaped by the forces of weathering and erosion. As soon as a rock is exposed at the surface of the earth it begins weathering: Weathering in deserts is mostly mechanical breaking up of the rocks by frost and wind abrasion, giving rise to loose sand which is blown by the wind. In tropical areas water with dissolved acid eats away at the rocks and forms soil by chemical alteration of the minerals. Rocks that are hard and chemically stable, like sandstone, resist the erosion and form hills and mountains, while rocks that are softer like shales, or are broken up by faulting, are more easily eroded, and form soft hills and valleys. Rivers are the main force of erosion and they cut back into hills and ranges forming canyons. Shales are soft, easily weathered, and also very fertile so they form well vegetated valleys, and sandstones are very poor in nutrients, so form barren or scrubby hill
