It can wash away soil from the sides of cliffs, hills, or mountains. It can dislodge the soil that keeps trees' roots secure, making trees topple over. It can carve deep crevices in soil and, over many years, create deep valleys.

What does water do to the soil?

Water is an essential constituent of healthy, productive soils. It serves to bind and secure the physical particulates in soil structure and is the medium by which natural chemicals and essential trace element nutrients are transported to plants.

How does water affect soil structure?

Water moves by gravity into the open pore spaces in the soil, and the size of the soil particles and their spacing determines how much water can flow in. Wide pore spacing at the soil surface increases the rate of water infiltration, so coarse soils have a higher infiltration rate than fine soils.