Waves crash against cliff s. Icy rain pounds the ground. Winds


howl across mountains and whistle through caves. Welcome to the Hebrides islands. T e Hebrides is a large group of


200 islands just off Scotland’s shores. Wind, water, ice, and gravity have shaped this beautiful land. Let’s hike across these islands.


We’ll see stone towers and mossy hills. We’ll visit musical caves. We’ll also see how nature formed these fantastic features.


Water at Work We’re in a boat sailing to our first


stop. Cold sea spray splashes our faces. Soon, we see an island. It looks like it is standing on thousands of rocky pillars. We move closer. T ere’s a large


cave in the rock. Seawater flows in and out. T e flowing water sounds like music. T e waves flow in. Water seeps between cracks in the rock. As it does, bits of rock break free. T is is called weathering. Waves flow out of the cave, too.


T e water carries away the bits of rock. It washes them out to sea. T is is called erosion.


20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


Ice is Nice We go to another island and climb


to the top of a cliff . Puffins and other seabirds perch here. Careful! T e sea spray makes the rocks slippery. Here, water erodes the rocks in


another way. Rainwater seeps into gaps in the rock. In winter, this water freezes. T e water turns to ice and expands. T e ice forces the gaps apart. Over time, the cracks in the rock grow wider. T e ice weathers the rock into smaller pieces. T en gravity takes over. It pulls on


the rocks and erodes them. Pieces of rock tumble down the cliff s. T e pieces pile up.


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