How to Make a Mountain
Activity 1: Folded Mountains
Background Information
Folded mountains are formed as the result of compression or squeezing of the Earth’s surface.
These forces cause the rocks to bend (fold) and break (faulting). If the compression exceeds the
rock’s strength and it can no longer withstand the strain, it will break. This can cause large
blocks of Earth’s crust to ride up and over the top of adjacent blocks in a process called thrust
faulting.
While this activity only models folding of sedimentary rock layers, in actual folded mountains
both folding and faulting occur.
Materials
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Folded Rocks Photos (http://tinyurl.com/25c7uj)
Mountain Photo Archive (http://tinyurl.com/3cmqok)
4 colors of playdough
Wax paper
1 butter knife
Assignment sheets
Procedure
1. Roll each color of play dough on top of your wax paper, forming a flattened pancake.
NOTE: The greater the diameter and the thinner the layers, the more easily the model
can be folded.
2. Stack the layers on top of each other. It doesn’t matter in which order the colors are
stacked.
3. Observe the layers from the side and draw a sketch on your assignment sheet.
4. Place your hands on either side of the play dough layers so that you can squeeze it along
its longer axis.
5. Gently push your hands together causing the play dough layers to fold and buckle. Try to
make at least one anticline and one syncline.
6. Draw a sketch of the folded model on your assignment sheet, then answer the questions
below the sketch.
7. Cut the top off of your folded mountains to simulate surface erosion. Draw and label
what you see on your assignment sheet.
8. Cut the model in any way that you choose (as long as it is different than the views you
already have) and draw what you see on your assignment sheet.
9. Look at the Folded Rocks Photos. Compare these images to your models.
10. Complete the Review and Reflection questions on your assignment sheet.
How to Make a Mountain
Unfolded Layers (side view)
Folded Layers—showing anticlines and synclines (side view)
What might cause similar compression to occur to the Earth’s crust?
Give an example of where this might occur.
Top cut off to model surface erosion:
How to Make a Mountain
Student Choice:
Compare the images you see in the Folded Rocks Photos with your models.
Review and Reflection
1. How does the model you make illustrate processes at work in the Earth’s crust?
2. What is the name of the force at work in the Earth’s crust that makes folded mountains?
3. Look at the Mountain Photo Archive. Which, if any, of these mountains look like they are
made of folded layers?
How to Make a Mountain
Activity 2: Fault Block Mountains
Background Information
Fault-block mountains are formed by the sinking or rising of huge blocks of the earth’s surface
relative to the neighboring blocks. The Basin and Range region of Nevada, Arizona, New
Mexico, and Utah is one of the most extensive regions of fault block mountains.
This activity demonstrates how faulting can create mountains.
Materials
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Mountains Formed by Faults photos (http://tinyurl.com/34ydj3)
5 or 6 hardback books approximately the same size
ruler
Fault block paper models
Assignment sheets
Procedure
1. Hold 5 or 6 hardback books upright on a desk (binding vertical). These books represent
Earth’s crust and the spaces between them represent faults in the crust. The letters of the
title represent sedimentary layers.
2. Place a ruler across the top of the books and measure the width beginning with the first
book on the left and ending with the last book on the right.
3. Draw a sketch of the Fault Block Mountains on your assignment sheet.
4. Move one hand so that the books tilt to one side at a 30-45 degree angle (estimate this).
5. Measure the horizontal width using the same technique as above.
6. This models the stretching of the crust—tension. Draw a sketch of the model on your
assignment sheet. Be sure to label the mountains and the valleys
7. Answer the Review and Reflection questions.
How to Make a Mountain
Model before stretching of crust
Crust Width ________
Model after stretching of crust
Crust Width _______
Review and Reflection
1. What force causes crust stretching to take place?
2. What changes occurred in the crust as the surface stretched?
3. Look at your before and after drawings. How did the measurements change? Why
do you think this happened?
4. Look at the picture of the Basin and Range Province in Nevada (Mountains Formed
by Faults photos). Based on what you have just learned, how do you think these
mountains were formed?
How to Make a Mountain
Activity 3: Paper Model Faults
Background Information
Faults are cracks in the crust where sliding occurs. We classify faults based on the direction of
relative motion into normal faults, reverse faults, and strike-slip faults. These paper models of
faults show how that relative motion occurs.
Materials
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Paper models of the normal fault, strike slip fault, reverse fault, horst, and graben.
(http://tinyurl.com/2p9e9g)
colored pencils
Assignment Sheets
Procedure
1. Move from one model station to another, drawing sketches of each of the fault types
exhibited. For each sketch, be sure to label the hanging wall (A), foot wall (B), and
use arrows to show the relative motion of each side of the fault. Use the line beneath
the box to label the type of fault.
2. Answer the Review and Reflection questions on your assignment sheet.
How to Make a Mountain
Type of Fault: _______________________________________________________________
Type of Fault: _______________________________________________________________
Type of Fault: _______________________________________________________________
How to Make a Mountain
Type of Fault: _______________________________________________________________
Type of Fault: _______________________________________________________________
Review and Reflection
1. Which types of faults are produced by tension, compression, and shear?
Tension: ________________________________________________________________
Compression: ___________________________________________________________
Shear: _________________________________________________________________
2. In looking at the paper fault models, which types of faults do you think could contribute to
mountain building? Why?
3. Look at the Mountain Photo Archive (http://tinyurl.com/3cmqok). Which, if any, of these
mountains look like they could have some faulting associated with them?