Changes to the Land: Landforms

A river flowing across the rocky surface of the Earth could create which of the following?

• Dunes

• Mountains

• Canyons

• Hills

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

How could students best model the formation and movement of dunes?

• Pour water over piles of sand.

• Slowly drip wet sand into a tub of water.

• Use a spoon to dig a hole in a tray of sand.

• Use straws to blow piles of sand.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

A delta is made of sediments deposited at the mouth of a river. A delta forms where the river meets the ocean because the ocean -

• makes the river slow down and deposits sediment

• contains salt water and rivers have fresh water

• 
  is usually much colder than the water in the river

• has powerful currents that weather rock on the shore

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which of the following landforms is the result of a river carving out land by erosion?

• Canyon

• Sand dune

• Delta

• Mountain

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Canyons and deltas are similar in that both form -

• • due to the action of moving water

• high in the tallest mountains

• where lots of sediments collect

• 
  in and around active volcanoes

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Rivers create landforms as they move across the surface of the Earth. Rivers move as water flows from -

• high in the mountains, down to oceans and lakes

• regions that have warmer temperatures to cooler ones

• because they are pushed by strong winds

• from east to west as the earth rotates

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Freeport, Texas, is built on a growing delta at the mouth of the Brazos River. The land on which Freeport is built continues to grow because the Brazos River –

• deposits new material on the delta

• removes sediments from the delta

• 
  moves farther away from the delta

• 
  receives fresh water from the delta

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which forces create landforms such as deltas, dunes, and canyons?

• • Volcanic eruptions

• Earthquakes and landslides

• 
  Planetary movements

• Moving wind and water

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Sand dunes are created when sand is moved and deposited by –

• strong, persistent winds

• slow moving sheets of ice

• frequent lava flows

• powerful ocean currents

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What is a canyon?

• A deep ravine between cliffs that is most often carved from the landscape by a river

• A triangular landform where a river empties into another body of water

• The buildup of land by the settlement of sediment and soil in a new location

• A feature on the surface of Earth such as a mountain, hill, dune, ocean, or river