What Carved the Giant Bowls Near Mountaintops?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. What carved the giant bowls near mountaintops?

The Big Idea

Glaciers carve bowl-shaped hollows near mountaintops, and the bowls are called cirques. They look like giant armchairs carved right into the mountain. Ice moves very slowly, yet it is a surprisingly powerful sculptor, and it works for thousands of years.

Ice Grips the Rock

Step one: ice grips the rock. Ice freezes to the rock on the mountain's high slope. Meltwater sneaks into cracks and freezes there, too, gripping the rock even tighter.

Glacier Plucks and Scrapes

Step two: the glacier plucks and scrapes. As the glacier slides, it pulls chunks of rock away. The stones frozen in the ice scrape the floor like sandpaper, and the bowl digs in.

A Bowl Appears

Step three: the bowl appears. After many years, the hollow gets deeper, wider, and steeper. When the ice melts away, the cirque may hold a small lake called a tarn.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at a cirque! It is shaped like a giant armchair. The back wall is steep and tall. The floor was scraped smooth by moving ice. And a little lake called a tarn may sit inside it.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Cirques look like giant armchairs carved into the mountain. Tarn is an old word for a small mountain lake. Cirques take thousands of years to form. You can spot them from trails and roads, in places like the Rockies and the Alps.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Make a mound of clay. Scoop a bowl shape out of the top with a spoon. Pour in a little water to make your own tarn lake. Explain how ice did the same job.

Outro

Ice can carve a mountain into armchairs. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!