My Reflections

In this unit I have learned that erosion has made a lot of changes in the world. Now I know how the canyons were made and why some mountains look different from others. I also learned about weathering, it is like erosion, the only difference is that weathering is made by the atmosphere and erosion is made by water and wind. By the experiments we made in the lab, I learned that if we change a single variable, the result will change by a lot, for example, if we use the slope, the water will make a tunnel through the sand, and if we take the slope out, the water won't pass through the sand, it will make a waterfall. Before, I didn't know what the essential questions were, but now I can answer them.

1. How does water affect landforms?

My answer is that, when rivers pass through a landform many times during a long period, the landform will become a canyon.

2. How does Earth change over time?

It changes over time because of the weather, and because of natural disasters, like tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados. It can also change because of temperature.

3.Why does the surface look the way it does?

Because it changes over time.

Wadi field trip

Wadi Field Trip

On Monday, March 13, me and my class went to Wadi Degla on a science field trip. When we entered, the placed looked like a canyon.

Dr. Bill, a geologist, said that it used to be a body of water 10,000 years ago, and there were animals living in the water, one of them was the Megalodon, it was a giant shark that measured 18 meters. There were also people living there, they were cavemen, and they were living there because of the water and the animals that were living there too.

He also talked to us about how it was made and where did the name Wadi meant. The word Wadi means dry valley. The Wadi was made by weathering and water erosion. He also said why there were so many rocks on the floor, it was because of deposition. Dr. Bill explained that bottom part of the mountains were the oldest part and the top part was the youngest. After he finished talking he poured an acid onto limestone and then it started to melt making a really weird sound. He said that water that the water that eroded the Wadi had acid and that's why it looks like a canyon.

After that, a friend found an old shoe and then me and my friends were trying to steal it from him because we were saying it was a shoe fossil.

 Then we had lunch. After lunch, the teachers said that we were going on a hike, it was optional but everyone decided to go. Halfway through, one of my friends slipped and almost fell to the ground. I was so scared, what if I fell, I thought. We got higher and higher until we got to a point where we  started to descend and finally we got safely where the bus was.

We walked all the way back. I was wondering why couldn't we go on the bus. After walking what looked like an endless path we reached the entrance of the Wadi and left. 

Stream Table Experiment Number 3

No Slope

When we did the experiment with no slope, the results were a lot different than when did it with the slope. The drainage basin had more water and the water did not pass through the sand, it passed over the sand making a waterfall.

Science Vocabulary

Science Vocabulary

Weathering: Wear away or change the appearance or texture of something by long exposure to the atmosphere.

Erosion: The process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water or other natural agents.

Deposition:  An act or process of depositing.

Landforms: A land feature of the Earth's surface like mountains and valleys.

Plateau: Nearly level area that has been uplifted.

Canyon: A V-shaped valley eroded by a river.

Delta: A fan-shaped deposit at the mouth of a river.

Drainage basin: The land that gets covered with water from a stream or river.

Flood plain: The land that gets covered with water from a stream or river during a flood.

Sediment: A material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers.

Basin: An enclosed or partly enclosed water area.

Flash flood: A local flood of short duration generally resulting from heavy rainfall in the immediate vicinity.

Alluvial fan: The alluvial deposit of a stream where it issues from a gorge upon a plain or of a tributary stream at its junction with the main stream.