1. Landforms of water erosion
To be able to describe and explain the formation of water erosion landforms

2. Learning outcomes:
All students will be able to recognise and name erosional landforms in the desert.
Most students will be able to describe erosional landforms in the desert, giving basic explanations for their formation.
Some students will be able to explain in detail the formation of erosional landforms in the desert.

3. Mesa
Butte
Canyon
Wadi

4. Task: Write out a description of the following landforms:
Wadi, mesa, butte, canyon.
Peer assessment: Has you partner described:
Colour
Texture
Material
Shape
Height
width

6. Landform formation: Canyon
It starts off as a raised plateau (cliff)
Rainwater erodes small cracks / less resistant rock in the plateau.
Over time these get wider and wider to form a canyon.

7. Landform formation: Mesa and Butte
A plateau has a layer of hard rock on top of soft rock. This is called cap rock
Rainwater erodes cracks in the plateau to form a canyon which is open at both ends.
The mesa is the resulting rock that is separated from the plateau.
Rainwater then seeps down the side of the mesa and erodes the softer rock.
The sides retreats inwards and eventually the hard cap rock falls away leaving thin spire of rock (butte).

8. Landform formation: Wadi
After heavy rain, water follows an old river bed.
The water erodes the bed and widens and deepens it.
The floods disappear leaving a wide, flat floored valley contained deposited rocks

9. On the following diagram, name the landforms a,b,c,d.

10. Choose your favourite desert landform.
Draw a labelled sketch of your chosen landform (4 marks)
Explain how it was formed (4 marks)
Suggest how it may change in the future (2 marks)