The basic mechanisms producing rough surfaces during geomorphological
evolution are studied by carrying out model experiments and analyzing
the results in terms of fractal scaling. We have been able to find an
experimental evidence for kinetic roughening in our micromodel of moun
tain ranges. We have observed that during the watering of an initially
smooth ridge made of a mixture of granular materials, the surface evo
lves into a shape analogous to actual mountain profiles with self-affi
ne geometry. For the exponents describing respectively the spatial and
the temporal scaling of the surface width, alpha = 0.78 +/- 0.05 and
beta almost-equal-to 0.9 have been obtained. Our value for the static
exponent alpha is in very good agreement with several earlier results
for various mountains and we have calculated the estimate alpha = 0.8
+/- 0.1 for a set of genuine transect profiles taken in the Dolomites,
Italy. The results are interpreted in terms of ''landslides'' of wide
ly scattered magnitudes.