‘Ground-breaking discovery’ reveals rain can move mountains, scientists say

Research shows atmospheric and solid earth processes are more intimately connected than previously realised, writes Harry Cockburn

The monsoon in the Nepalese Himalayas. Scientists have calculated the mountain range’s erosion rate due to rainfall (Getty )

It doesn’t take much imagination to recognise the enormous power rainfall has on the world - from bringing forth crops, to carving out rivers, or causing deadly flooding.

But the extent of the role raindrops play on mountain landscapes has long been debated, and now, may have been solved.

According to scientists led by a team at the University of Bristol, a new technique allows geologists to understand more precisely how the movement of water has shaped the highest peaks and deepest valleys on our planet.