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Catch a Wave


Deep inside Earth’s mantle under Australia, magma bubbles. T is hot, melted rock rises through a crack in Earth’s crust. Up and up it goes. Suddenly, the crack widens into a large underground chamber. T e magma fills it. In some places, a magma chamber like this


forms the bottom of a volcano. Not here. It’s a dead end for this molten rock. Slowly, the pool of magma cools. It turns into a solid chunk of rock called granite. T e granite remains buried beneath soil


and rock for a long time. Yet even under the ground, it begins to weather. Water seeps through the soil. Acids and salts in the water begin to eat away at the rock. T ey weaken parts of the granite mound. High above the rock on Earth’s surface, a


wide river forms. It drains water to the sea. As this river flows, the water digs into the land. It picks up and carries away bits and pieces of dirt and rock.


Bit by bit, this erosion uncovers the granite.


It washes away bits of weakened rock. T e exposed rock curves over the land like a giant wave. As more and more land is carried away, the rock seems to grow taller. Today, the top of this rock wave rises nearly 15 meters (49 feet) above the ground. Water drips down the wave, streaking it


red and gray. Algae grow on it. T ese forces will slowly continue to break the rock apart. T e same thing is still happening under the ground, too. Water weathers the buried rock. It builds a bigger wave. Weathering and erosion create an endless


cycle. Giant rocks rise as soil washes away. Rugged mountains wear down into rolling hills. Hot springs carry chemicals that build new rock. T ese powerful forces keep changing the


land. T ey will continue to create some of the weirdest and most wonderful places on Earth.


WORDWISE


erosion: the process in which rock is moved from one place to another


terrace: a landform with a raised, flat top


valley: a low area of Earth’s surface, usually between hills or mountains


weathering: the process in which rocks are broken into smaller pieces


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