Climate is a major sculptor of landforms. One of generous precipitation often induces extensive erosion through plentiful runoff and stream flow. A moist, cool climate can even favor the formation of glaciers in mountains and high latitudes. Given the proper conditions, these massive ice bodies advance and heavily impact the terrain. A whole slew of landforms, from moraines and eskers to drumlins, kettles and tarns, owe their existence to the erosion and deposition of glaciers. In the cold of a mountaintop, water freezes and thaws regularly in the cracks of rocks, a process of mechanical weathering that, over time, may split boulders apart. In arid climates, water still performs much landform-building through erratic flash floods and deluges, while wind laced with silt and sand abrades rock over time.
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