When the landscape is exposed only to energy from the Sun (and not to Earth’s interior energy like magma or tectonic forces), no genuinely “new” rock types or formations are created; instead, existing rocks are mainly reshaped.

What solar energy does to rock

Solar energy acts at the surface and works together with air and water to break down and sculpt rock.

  • It heats rock in the daytime and lets it cool at night, causing expansion and contraction that can crack and flake rock (thermal stress weathering).
  • It helps drive wind and water movement, which erode existing rocks and transport the broken pieces.

Landforms you would actually see

If only the Sun’s energy were acting, you would mostly notice surface features made by weathering and erosion, not deep, molten-rock formations. You might see:

  • Talus slopes and rock piles at the base of cliffs where fractured pieces have broken off.
  • Exfoliation domes or onion-skin–style peeling where outer layers of rock spall away due to repeated heating and cooling.
  • Desert-style landforms such as arches, spires, and pedestal rocks carved by wind-blown sand and temperature-driven cracking.
  • Sand and soil layers formed from long-term breakdown of surface rock into smaller and smaller particles.

What you would not see

New rocks formed from Earth’s interior energy—like fresh lava flows, volcanic cones, or uplifted mountain chains—would not appear because those require heat and movement from inside the planet, not just sunlight.

So, in summary: under only solar energy, you would see more cracked, chipped, rounded, and eroded versions of existing rocks (talus slopes, exfoliation features, arches, sand), but not brand-new rock produced from magma or deep tectonic activity.