Shaping the land

The Moon's landscape has barely changed over billions of years. The footprints left by Moon astronauts 30 years ago are still there, perfectly preserved in dust.

The Earth's surface changes all the time. Most changes take millions of years. Sometime the landscape is reshaped suddenly by an avalanche or a volcano.

The Earth's surface is distorted and re-formed from below by the huge forces of the Earth's interior.

The Earth's surface is moulded from above by weather, water, waves, ice, wind and other "agent of erosion".

Most landscapes, except deserts, are moulded by runnig water, which explains why hills have rounded slopes. Dry landscapes are more angular, but even in deserts water often plays a major shaping role.