Lesson 3 of 4 · Earth's History

Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock Realm

How Sinkholes Form

🧪Lab Brief #3

Earth's History.

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Weather isn't random — it's just complicated.

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Mind = Blown

🌋 There are 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth right now.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you observe: what shape will it leave?

What You'll Learn

Sinkholes form when underground limestone dissolves, leaving a cavity that collapses. They are common in areas with karst topography where water slowly dissolves the bedrock.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

rocks
water
plastic tray

Safety First

Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards and keep the material away from your face.
Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 — Do

Model erosion: tilt a tray of soil and pour water from a cup at the top. Observe how channels form. Try adding plants or rocks to slow the erosion.

Step 3 — Observe

Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.

Step 4 — Record

Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What is an aquifer?

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

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Where you see this in real life

Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline — all this.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.

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For the dinner table

“What's the slowest change you can think of?”

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Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

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Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

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