Monday 4 May 2009

Dam burst danger

When glaciers in high mountain regions melt they often leave behind deep lakes. The lake waters are held back by natural dams, formed by piles of rocks, sand and clay dumped by the melting glacier. The debris is called moraine. Moraines often contain large hidden blocks of ice. These can take years to melt but when they do, the natural dam may break suddenly, releasing a flood of lake water which rushes down the mountainside sweeping all before it. This activity models the collapse of such a natural dam and shows the disaster that occurred to a 'village' below it. Click here to download the activity.
This is our latest Earthlearningidea and we should be pleased to receive your comments. Can anyone take a video of this activity in action for us to publish on the website?

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