Onyx River

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/onyx-river

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. How long is the Onyx River?32 kilometers (20 miles)
2. What is the location?Wright Valley, Victoria Land, Antarctica
3. What is the scientific name?Onyx River (unofficial designation)
4. Where does the Onyx River flow?It flows westward for about 32 kilometers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Victoria Land, a very dry part of Antarctica.
5. Why does the Onyx River only flow in summer?During the Antarctic summer the sun melts ice and the air temperature rises above freezing, which lets the river flow.

Ablation: The process of ice loss from a glacier or ice sheet through melting, sublimation, or calving.
Austral Summer: The summer season in the Southern Hemisphere, occurring from December to February.
Extremophiles: Organisms that thrive in physically or geochemically extreme conditions detrimental to most life on Earth.
Hydrology: The scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets.