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What’s strong enough to make a canyon?

What’s strong enough to make a canyon?

Lesson narration:
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DISCUSS: Why do you think there are these CRACKS in the ground like this? What makes a canyon?

Canyon crack image

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DISCUSS: Can you think of an experiment that would let you figure out whether WATER could make a canyon?

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Experiment 1: Cornmeal Landscapes

Have students work in pairs and use the cornmeal-and-salt “land” to make a landscape of their own design. Ask them to:

  • include some high land—a hill or a mountain or a plateau
  • include some low areas—valleys or plains or even a cave
  • choose where the cup will drip and predict what will happen
  • draw a “before” picture
  • try the experiment
  • document the changes by drawing an “after” picture
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Experiment 2: Make a River (part 1)


Discuss:

How could you make a river that flows across a plate of cornmeal?

If you want to know how we did it at Mystery Science, go to Make a River (part 2).

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Experiment 2: Make a River (part 2)

At Mystery Science, we knew that rivers flow downhill. So we filled a plate with cornmeal, tamping it down so it stayed put. Then we tilted the plate on another plate, and set up our drip stick. Here’s our river.

cornmealriver

You can try our method — or make up your own.

Return to Make a River (Part 1).

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landform


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a natural structure of Earth's surface, like a mountain or canyon
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hill


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a high area of land that isn't as tall as a mountain
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mountain


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a high area of land with steep sides
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slope


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where one side is higher than the other
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steep


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something that is very high up on one end and very low at the other end
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canyon


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a deep hole in the ground formed over a long time by moving water
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cliff


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a high area of land with a side that is almost straight up-and-down
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river


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a long, thin area of water that flows
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flow


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to move along
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erosion


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when tiny bits of rock are moved from one place to another
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plateau


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a high area of land that is flat on top
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model


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a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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experiment


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a test used to discover new information about a question
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observe


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to pay close attention to something
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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
plains by The American Bazaar
Avalanche Canyon by Acroterion
kid looking out car window by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Zurijeta
Rocky Mountain National Park by Vin Kohl
Grand Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Bryan Busovicki
looking out at the Grand Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: kojihirano
kid exploring slot canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: mhgstan
walkthrough of Lower Antelope Canyon by Prouisorsapientiae
slot canyon hike by Nature for Kids
South Napa earthquake by Dan Ponti (USGS)
Kumamoto, Japan earthquake by Image used under license from Alamy.com: Aflo Co. Ltd.
aerial view of Grand Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Sam Chadwick
kid walking through slot canyon by Utah Physical Therapy - Lehi
Antelope Canyon flash flood by manzonbo
water splash by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Fisher Photostudio
excavator by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: smereka
Lower Antelope Canyon flood by TheMrByrom
rafting in the Grand Canyon by Miguel Filipe
outpour from gutter by Habitat Gardens
ditch by USDA NRCS Photo Gallery
channel by Landscape Drainage Solutions
backyard erosion by Catholic Mom Apologia
Activity
flat mountain by Bluesnap
prairie dogs by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: nhtg
four prarie dogs by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: scooperdigital
Fry Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Malgorzata Litkowska
alluvial fan by NPS Archives (USGS)
coastal landslide by USGS
Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students make hypotheses and investigate the causes of canyons. In the activity, Cornmeal Canyons, students create a model landform using cornmeal. Then they drip water over this “land” to observe how water can change its shape and to understand how, over long periods of time, canyons can be formed through a similar process.

Preview activity

Exploration

12 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

Extend this lesson