Prepare to get dirty and have some fun learning about Weathering and Erosion. 

Don’t forget to do your lab report..
If not click here

What Happens To A Mountain?

Question: What changes will happen to the mountain of soil over the course of a month

Hypothesis:  I think …

Procedure

  1. Build a “mountain” of soil 50 cm (about 20 inches) high in an undisturbed location in your backyard yard.
  2. Observe the mountain once a week for the next 1.5 month.  Measure its height and width and note any changes in its surface.

RECORDING DATA: This chart will be a log of your experiment. Make a chart that includes

  1. the date and time,
  2. the height & width,
  3. observations (description),
  4. daily drawings of your mountain. 

Analysis and Conclusions..After observing the mountain for an extended period of time, answer the following questions

  1. What was the initial height of your mountain
  2. What was the final height?
  3. How much soil did your mountain loose (subtract #2-#1) ?
  4. Prediction: How long do you think it would take for your pile to weather away
    • HINT: A. Divide the answer from question # 3 by the number of days you observed.  
    • B. Take the amount of final soil height ( question #2) and divide it by the number you got in step A )
  5. What forces do you think might have caused changes in your mountain?
  6. Why do you think your soil weathering away so quickly?
  7. What naturally protects soil from erosion?
  8. What could you do to your mountain to conserve soil or make it more erosion proof?