Kern River Canyon

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kern-river-canyon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Southern Sierra Nevada, California, United States
2. What is the geological formation?Fluvial erosion of granitic bedrock over millions of years
3. How did the Kern River Canyon get so deep?The river starts from high glaciers and snow, flows fast especially in spring, cutting down into hard granite, making walls that can be thousands of feet deep.
4. What kinds of plants and animals live in the canyon?The canyon has water-loving plants near the river, then chaparral, oak woodlands, and pine and fir forests higher up. Animals like mule deer, black bears, coyotes, rodents, and many birds live there.

Fluvial Geomorphology: The study of landforms created by the action of rivers and streams.
Riparian Zone: The interface between land and a river or stream, characterized by unique vegetation and high biodiversity.