Fells in the Saariselkä region.

For millennia, the Finnish bedrock has been very stable. This is mainly due to the fact that the nation is located on top of a solid layer of rock that is approximately 230 kilometers thick. However, Finnish landscapes have been transformed significantly over the course of these millennia by water, snow and ice, as well as the glacial movements that have occurred during the various ice ages. These processes have worn down the Finnish bedrock and transported loose material towards the southern parts of the peninsula. It has been estimated that the last ice age alone wore down a layer approximately seven meters thick from our bedrock.

The movement of tectonic plates, the formation of mountain ranges and earthquakes can cause even the hardest bedrock to break and crack. The Kevonjoki canyon is located in the Kevo Nature reserve in Utsoji. The canyon, which has formed as bedrock has torn apart, is the largest and most magnificient gorge valley in Finland. Finland is also home to a number of steep and often deep valleys, which have formed when blocks of rock have sunk in the ground. Some of these valleys have accumulated water over time, resulting in the formation of gorge lakes.

Some blocks of bedrock rise while other sink. This is how uplifted blocks of bedrock can form mountains and fault blocks. Although no uplifted mountain ranges can be found in Finland, there are many fault blocks, which were historically known as "giant's steps". Lake Inari and its surrounding environment has been molded by these kinds of processes.

Kiutaköngäs in Oulankajoki, Kuusamo. It has been formed as the result of movement within the Earth's crust.