This review of abiotic selection covers the role of geophysical phenomena in selection involving biotic/abiotic interactions, and purely or primarily abiotic selection. In evolutionary biology, abiotic selection is the selection pressure exerted on organisms by the geophysical environment. Abiotic effects are important, and often paramount, in ecological filtering, whereby habitat characteristics allow and facilitate some species to establish and prevent or inhibit others. Ecological opportunity occurs when new or modified niches are created, triggering adaptive radiation in biological evolution. Biological evolution can also lead to geological innovation in the form of new features or materials associated with organisms. Ecosystem engineering occurs when organisms modify the environment to affect habitat quality, including modification of abiotic factors, often with evolutionary implications via niche construction. Biogeochemical selection favors faster and more efficient cycling in ecosystem development. The four main forms of purely or mainly abiotic selection are gradient, resistance, network, and thermodynamic selection. Gradient selection can be characterized as: the steepest flux gradients usually win, and those pathways are often reinforced by positive feedbacks. Resistance selection works by preferential preservation—less resistant features are removed more rapidly, leaving more resistant and stable ones behind. Network selection occurs when the formation of specific flow and interaction networks is favored, the main example being branching dendritic flow and circulation networks. Processes that deplete (equalize) energy gradients as rapidly as possible are subject to positive thermodynamic selection. Selection associated with the least action principle and maximum entropy production are the primary examples.