National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Bryce Canyon National ParkThis selection of Hoodoos is referred to as the Chinese Wall
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Bryce Canyon National Park
Landforms

 


This unit introduces students to Geomorphology
which is the study of landforms. They will learn about
common landforms and how they are created.

 

UNIT GOALS:

  • Students will see how river channels change through repetition of experiments with different variables.
  • Students will be shown how different valleys are formed.
  • Instructors will explain how fan shaped landforms are made.
  • Students will be shown how rocks react to different tectonic forces.
  • Instructors will explain how plateaus are formed.
  • Using all information about landforms, students will play the classic memory game.
 

UNIT ACTIVITIES:

1. Changing Channels in Midstream: Uses experiments to see how different variables affect sediment movement forming stream channels: straight, meandering and braided.

2. Varying Valleys: Uses experiments to show how three valley types are formed: U-valleys, V-valleys and plain valleys.

3. Deposit a slice of pie: Uses experiments to demonstrate how triangle shaped landforms are created: alluvial fan, delta, mud and debris flows.

4. Pushing and Pulling Mountains: Demonstrates how some mountain ranges are created by extension and compression forces acting on the crust.

5. Planar Plateaus: Allows students to see how flat-topped mountains are formed.

6. Earth's pimple problem: Teaches about the three types of volcanoes and what causes them to form.

7. Remembering Landforms: Is the culminating activity of this unit. It uses pictures, landform names and processes that form each landform to play a memory match game.

 

GEODETECTIVE Home - - Landforms Kid's Page

Contact our Education Outreach Specialist here.

Bryce Paintbrush, known also as the Reveal Paintbrush  

Did You Know?
The Reveal Paintbrush was discovered June 24, 1965 at Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon National Park. This rare wildflower is only found in southwestern Utah.
more...

Last Updated: March 05, 2009 at 16:54 EST