How does erosion change the shape of a mountain?

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Erosion acts as a destructive force that progressively modifies and reshapes the form of a mountain range over time. While constructional processes like tectonic uplift build mountains, the external shape of these landforms is a constant interplay between that uplift and the forces of erosion.1

Erosion alters mountains through several key processes:

  • Agents of Change: Weathering breaks down rock in situ, while erosion transports this material away using water, wind, and glacial processes.123
  • Glacial Reshaping: In glaciated ranges, ice drastically alters valleys. Glaciers remove debris and erode bedrock to transform V-shaped stream valleys into characteristic U-shaped valleys. They also carve out cirques, and the headward erosion of these features can leave behind sharp, jagged ridges known as arêtes and pointed peaks called horns.4
  • Continuous Modification: Because erosion begins as soon as a landform is created and continues indefinitely, a mountain's shape is never static; it is a direct consequence of the ongoing destruction of its previous form.1