STATION 1
FAULT BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
STATION 1 - FAULT BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
HOW DO MOUNTAINS FORM???
(Write down what is in red)
The great mountain ranges of the world were created because of the constant
but very slow movement of the Earth's plates. When the plates of the Earth
collide the crust becomes high mountain ranges. The roots of the world's great
mountain ranges contain some of the oldest rocks on the surface of the Earth.
Some of these rocks are over 3.5 billion years old!! These rocks were once
buried deep inside the Earth and have been raised into mountains by the
collisions of the plates.
These plates travel at a very slow rate about 1 to 4 inches per year. The Indian
Subcontinent was a very fast mover, clipping along at over 4 inches per year.
When it slammed into the Eurasian plate over 24 million years ago the collision
built the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. In fact, the
Himalayas are still climbing higher and higher today.
STATION 1 - FAULT BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
DEFINITION
Fault-block mountains form along fault lines where blocks of
rock either fall, or are thrust up, or slide. Fault blocks are
very large blocks of rock, created by tectonic stresses in the
Earth's crust. Large areas of bedrock are broken up into
blocks by faults.
STATION 1 - FAULT BLOCK MOUNTAINS
DRAW THIS DIAGRAM
STATION 1 - FAULT BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
EXAMPLE of Fault-Block Mountains:The Wasatch Range in Utah
STATION 1 - FAULT BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
EXAMPLE of Fault-Block Mountains:The Sierra Nevada in California
STATION 1 - FAULT BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
EXAMPLE of Fault-Block Mountains:
Basin and Range topography of southern Nevada
STATION 2
FOLD BLOCK MOUNTAINS
STATION 2 - FOLD BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
DEFINITION
Fold mountains are mountain ranges that are formed when two of
the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust push together
at their border. The extreme pressure forces the edges of the
plates upwards into a series of folds.
Fold mountains are created through a process called "orogeny."
An orogenic event takes millions of years to create a mountain range
because tectonic plates move only centimeters every year.
Fold mountains are the most common type of mountain on Earth.
STATION 2 - FOLD BLOCK MOUNTAINS
Draw the BOTTOM Diagram, color the layers different colors
STATION 2 - FOLD BLOCK MOUNTAINS
EXAMPLE of Fold Mountains:
The Zagros Mountains are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq.
STATION 2 - FOLD BLOCK
MOUNTAINS
EXAMPLE of Fold Mountains:
Folded and faulted rocks at the Lizard, in Cornwall, England. Large scale sideways compression, like you will see
in the box demonstration.
STATION 3
PLATEAUS
STATION 3 - PLATEAUS
DEFINITION
Plateau - land formation known as tableland
-characterized by an elevated and flat plain of land that
resembles a table.
- a large or small raised area of flat land that is separated
from the rest of its surrounding land by slopes on each side
Mesa - a small plateau that is more isolated from the surrounding
landscape and has distinct cliff type edges to it.
Butte - larger plateau than a mesa and has steeping slope edges that
separate it from the surrounding landscape.
STATION 3 - PLATEAUS
HOW DOES A PLATEAU FORM???
There are different ways in which plateaus can develop but in each case the creation of the
land formation is not an instant geological act as it can take millions of years for these
raised, flat areas of land to be built.
1) When magma pushes up towards the surface of the Earth’s crust. The magma does not
break through but instead raises a section of the crust up as it rises and creates a plateau.
2) Another way in that can create plateaus is when lava breaks through the Earth’s crust and
builds upon itself over and over to form a raised land area.
3) Millions of years of wind and water erosion can create a plateau.
a) Water flowing in specific patterns will break down layers of rock over time and carve out
channels that will dig deeper down. As the water digs its way down, steep slopes are created
and that forms the edges of the plateau.
b)Wind affects the land’s layers of rock much in the same way that water does, as the water
exposes more layers, the wind erodes the area more and helps in the steepness of the sides
that make the base of the plateau.
STATION 3 - PLATEAUS
EXAMPLE of Plateau:
The Colorado Plateau is extremely ancient as a distinct mass of continental
crust, at least 500 million years old.
STATION 3 - PLATEAUS
DRAW THIS PICTURE AS YOUR DIAGRAM
EXAMPLES OF PLATEAUS:
a butte in Monument Valley in Utah
STATION 3 - PLATEAUS
EXAMPLES OF PLATEAUS:
a mesa in Monument Valley in Utah
STATION 4
CANYONS
STATION 4 - CANYONS
DEFINITION
- Also known as a gorge
- a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape
by a river
-rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which
is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain
into. This forms a canyon
- elevation is the height of something above sea level
STATION 4 - CANYONS
Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion
from a plateau level. The cliffs form because harder rock strata
that are resistant to erosion and weathering remain exposed on
the valley walls.
STATION 4 - CANYONS
DRAW THIS AS YOUR DIAGRAM
EXAMPLE of Canyon:
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is an example of a large canyon where the Colorado
River eroded the Colorado Plateau.
STATION 4 - CANYONS
EXAMPLE of Canyon:
The Antelope Slot
Canyon in Arizona is an
example of a narrow
canyon.
STATION 5
Weathering: Chemical
STATION 5 – Chemical Weathering
DEFINITION
Chemical weathering breaks down rocks by changing their
composition. Oxidation and the action of acids are important chemical
weathering processes.
Oxidation – rocks exposed to air can react with the oxygen
Many rocks contain iron which will rust when exposed to oxygen
making the rock weaker
Acids – when carbon dioxide combines with water, carbonic acid is
formed which can dissolve some minerals like Limestone and marble
STATION 5 – Chemical Weathering
EXAMPLE of Chemical Weathering:
A sinkhole is a natural hole that forms in the Earth's surface as a result of the
chemical weathering of carbonate rocks like limestone, as well as salt beds or rocks
that can be severely weathered as water runs through them.
STATION 5 – Chemical Weathering
DRAW THIS AS YOUR DIAGRAM
EXAMPLE of Chemical Weathering:
A sinkhole in Windemere, Florida that formed overnight on May 3, 2012
STATION 5 – Chemical Weathering
EXAMPLE of Chemical Weathering:
These marble tombstones can no longer be read as a result of chemical weathering.
STATION 5 – Chemical Weathering
EXAMPLE of Chemical Weathering:
The rocks are red because of the high concentration of iron oxides, which formed during the
oxidation of the iron in the rock.
STATION 6
Weathering: Physical
STATION 6 – Weathering: Physical
DEFINITION
Mechanical weathering is the process of breaking down of rock by physical
changes.
Examples: frost action, actions of plants and animals
Frost action – the repeated freezing and thawing of water, it breaks rock
apart when water seeps into the cracks and then freezes and expands
Plants & Animals – growth or roots may widen cracks, burrowing animals
turn over soils
STATION 6 – Weathering: Physical
STATION 6 – Weathering: Physical
STATION 6 – Weathering: Physical
EXAMPLE of Mechanical Weathering:
Frost action – the repeated freezing and thawing of water, it breaks rock
apart when water seeps into the cracks and then freezes and expands
STATION 7
EROSION
STATION 7 – EROSION
The gradual wearing away of land
surface materials, especially rocks,
sediments, and soils, by the action of
water, wind, or a glacier. Usually
erosion also involves the transport of
eroded material from one place to
another, as from the top of a
mountain to an adjacent valley, or
from the upstream portion of a river
to the downstream portion.
STATION 7 – EROSION
EXAMPLE of Erosion
STATION 7 – EROSION
Buttes, Mesas,and Canyons are landforms resulting from
erosional and weathering activity and are called 'erosional
landforms'.
STATION 8
SOIL
STATION 8 – SOIL
DEFINITION
Soil is the loose, weathered rock that can
support the growth of rooted plants. Soil is a
mixture of weathered rock, humus, air,
water, and living things. Bacteria, fungi,
worms, and insects help in the formation of
soil.
STATION 8 – SOIL
HOW IS SOIL FORMED?
Soil forms as rock is broken down by weathering and mixes with other
materials on the surface. It is constantly formed wherever bedrock is
exposed. Soil formation continues over a long period, and gradually soil
develops layers called horizons. A soil horizon is a layer of soil that differs in
color and texture from the layers above or below it.
STATION 8 – SOIL
EXAMPLE: HOW SOIL IS FORMED
STATION 8 – SOIL
A soil horizon is a layer
of soil that differs in
color and texture from
the layers above or below
it. Soil formation
continues over a long
period, and gradually soil
develops layers called
horizons.