BY EMILY, ADDY, RUBY, And GRANT

Precision Publications, 2015

Knock, Knock, Knock!

Who is it? asked Caleb Rivers. His bedroom door flew
open and his next door neighbor Mia Woods ran in.
Do you have any idea what the heck this is? she asked
holding up her wrist. There was a large metal band on her arm
that had two small buttons.
I have no idea, answered Caleb.
Will you help me try to find out what this is? she said.
Caleb got a screwdriver and started to pry it open. Just as he
started to get it open there was a flash and they were no
longer in Calebs room.

Oh
no! I think we
pressed a wrong
button and got
ourselves caught in
the middle of a
volcanic
eruption!

Unfortunately,
I think youre
right.

WE BETTER RUN! Caleb and Mia screamed. After Mia and Caleb ran for
quite awhile, they stopped to catch their breath as a blob of lava flew out of the
volcano and landed next to them.
Let's run some more, this cant be safe if lava is flying at us! said Mia.
Wait! You dont have to run. I just came to say, hi, said the blob of lava.
Who are you anyway? Caleb asked curiously.
Im Lava Blob, an expert in all things volcanoes. And I thought you might
want to learn a little about what's going on, since volcanoes can be pretty darn
scary!
Yeah, that would be useful. said Mia.
This extraordinary event has occurred for about 3.5 billion years and in the
last ten thousand years, more than fifteen hundred volcanoes have erupted. Most
of these eruptions have occurred on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, on the Mid
Atlantic Ridge, or on the island country of Iceland. Unlike the volcanoes on the
edge of the Pacific Ocean, the one you're experiencing here in Hawaii occurs in the
middle of the Pacific Ocean plate.
Thats so cool! I had no idea that volcanoes like this one have occurred for
3.5 BILLION years! said Caleb.
I know it is pretty cool, Lava Blob agreed. The earth we live on is made up
of over 50 large tectonic plates. These plates are huge pieces of earth's crust,
and are always shifting. Sometimes they pull apart and separate from each other.
Ah! I hope I dont fall in! said Caleb.
You can't fall in silly, the plates only have small cracks in them Lava Blob
assured him. "Anyway when these plates do separate, the mantle underneath the
earth's crust begins to melt. When the mantle melts, it turns into a lava now
called magma. Sometimes when the plates separate, one slides under the other.
More hot magma collects underneath the earth's crust until the pressure gets so
high the volcano erupts.
Oh so thats how you came to be, said Mia.
Yep, and some volcanoes can send 1,192 degree lava skyrocketing into the air,
but the volcano I came from is not nearly that hot. It is safe. But just in case
you should probably get going, Lava Blob continued.
Okay, bye! said Mia and Caleb. As they were walking and trying to figure
out how to get home when Caleb tripped on a rock and fell in to Mia.
Ouch!, she said as she bumped her bracelet on the ground. Flash! And they
were gone.
3

The next thing they knew, they were standing in

front of a mountain range.

Oh no, not
again!

Ugggg!!!
When you fell on that
rock you must've bumped
your bracelet, and hit
another button that
sent us here!

This is horrible! What on earth are we going to do? asked Mia. Just then a rock
came tumbling towards them.
Wow, that got me dizzy rocking and rolling around like that, the rock said with
a halt. Im Rocky the Rock, and I thought you might want to learn a bit about some
rockin mountains while you're here.
Umm...no thanks we better go, said Caleb.
Actually while were here we might as well see what Rocky has to say, said
Mia.
Oh...fine said Caleb with a sigh.
That sounds like a rockin plan to me, said Rocky.
Now lets rock and roll, so I can teach you a bit about what you're standing in
front of. Some mountains can exceed the height of 23,500 feet, or the length of 4,400
miles, and Im here to tell you how this colossal landform is created. When tectonic
plates collide they do so with enough force to thrust up huge up mountains.
Wow, thats so cool! I didn't think anything had enough force to thrust up a
whole mountain! Caleb exclaimed.
I know it is pretty rockin cool, but there's still some things I wanted to say.
Most mountains are formed in one of two ways-- through subduction or through
accretion. Sometimes when a tectonic plate slides under another the bottom one melts
into magma, pressure then builds up and cracks begin to form on the top plate. Magma
then shoots through the cracks forming a volcano. Many volcanoes are also considered
mountains once lava has stopped flowing. This is called subduction.
The other way mountains can be formed is when one tectonic plate slides under
the other. Some chunks of the bottom plate break off and get thrust up onto the top
plate. And attaches to it this is called accretion.
Wow thats so awesome, said Caleb.
Yeah, it is but I bet if we climbed up the smaller mountain over there we might
be able to see where we are in relation to your house and head home. said Mia.
Good idea said Caleb. Not long after Caleb and Mia started climbing the
mountain, Mia slipped and caught her bracelet on a fallen branch. Flash! And they
were gone.

top plate

bottom plate

What the heck just happened? asked Caleb and Mia

at the same time.
I guess it had to do something with this wacky
bracelet, said Mia, but Caleb didn't hear her. His
attention was focused on the rock behind them.
What is that big rock thing? asked Caleb.
I dont know, said Mia.
Well I sure do, said a talking cactus. I am Facty
Cacti, and I am an expert on buttes and arches.
Can you tell me what this big pillar of rock is?
asked Caleb.
Sure I can, this is a butte and they can be 300
million years old, and he began to explain.

Buttes will
last until erosion
such as sand or
water erodes the
softer rock
away.

A butte is a large pillar of rock that is found in the

southwestern United States. A butte is composed of solid
piece of rock called a capstone that cannot be eroded by
wind, rain, streams and dust and a softer rock below the
capstone that cannot be eroded. The capstone is on top of
softer rock such as sandstone. The softer rock wears away
from erosion (mainly streams) leaving a tall pillar of rock.
A rule that people use for identifying a butte is that the
top has to be narrower than the height. said Facty Cacti.
Wow, said Caleb. I never knew that rock could be
so amazing.
Yup, and if you have time we can take a quick little
walk to see some amazing arches, said Facty Cacti.
I guess we have some time, answered Mia.
Great. Off we go, said Facty Cacti.

Capstone

Rain

Streams

Sand

What can you tell us about

these things? asked Caleb.
A lot. First that ice plays a big
part in forming arches, said Facty
Cacti and he began to explain.
An arch is an formation of rock
that can be found in the
southwestern United States. An arch
is formed when the area of land is
under water such as a small lake or
river. The salt and sand from the
water sink down to the bottom. And
after millions of years the water
dries up and the sand and salt form
sandstone. Now the sandstone is
pushed up from the ground and
becomes a large pillar. Next the
erosion process starts. Sand, air and
ice break the middle to form a large
arch like the one behind us.

Thanks a lot Facty Cacti, but we better

be going now! We need to get home for
dinner, said Mia.
And so Caleb started jabbing at the bracelet
again. And they were gone in a flash!

Here
we are at
the Arches
National
Park.

They landed in a huge canyon.

It
happened
again, I think
it has to do with
me hitting the
bracelet,

Lets
not worry
about that
right now and
try to find out
where we
are,

10

curent

rocks being
eroded.

more erosion.

even more erosion.

fossils.

canyon!

As Caleb stepped forward he almost stepped on a large

snake. Watch where youre going missssster, hissed the
snake. The namessss Sssssssnickers, pleasssssed to meet you.
I can tell you anything about canyonssss and my cousin
knowssss all about waterfallssss.
Can you tell us anything about this huge canyon were
standing in, said Mia sarcastically.
Ssssssure, thissss isssss the Grand Canyon, said Snickers.
Have you ever heard of the Grand Canyon? This DEEP
scar in earths face is 300 miles long, 1 mile deep, and at
certain points, is 18 miles wide! And since a mile is 5,280 feet,
the Grand Canyon is actually 1,584,000 feet long! And do you
know how this was created? By a river!
Now you are probably wondering how this is possible. I
mean, you cant pour water on the ground and you have a mile
deep canyon! Well, the Grand Canyon was actually made up of
of sedimentary rock so over time, the current of the river
slowly washed away the layers of rock. And POOF! The Grand
Canyon was born.
The big part of making a canyon is erosion. The current of
the river washes away soft layers of sedimentary rock. And
over millions of years, you will have a proud scar in mother
natures face, a canyon.
One of the other ingredients of making a canyon is a dry
climate. If you have a place that gets a lot of rain, the
ground won't be able to form a canyon because of the soggy
ground. And won't be able to carry more debris, but if you
have a nice dry place with dry sedimentary rock, the river will
be able to carry more rock and sand out of the way more
easily.
The last ingredient is time. Sometimes the canyon will be
formed more quickly, because of the current of the river. If it
is slower, then it will be a LONG time before you see a
canyon. But if the current is faster, then the canyon will be
formed faster.
Wow! Isnt the process of canyons cool? Its amazing how
just a little time, a dry climate, and a river, could make
nature's most amazing creations, a canyon.
Wow these rocks are tou... ahhh, said Mia as she
tripped over a large rock and smashed her wrist on the
ground. And in a flash they were gone.
11

A snake that looked exactly like

Snickers slithered up.

Are you
Snickers?

No, I am his cousin,

Slithers. And I can tell
you all about
waterfalls.

12

Waterfalls are an amazing part of Mother Nature. I mean, what other

masterpiece can sculpt land and create flowing wonders on the Earths face?
But, first of all, how are they made? Pretty much all you need is gravity,
erosion, soft and hard bedrock, and a stream/river and then you get a
waterfall. Now, lets get into detail.
Waterfalls start to form when you have a river bed with a slant. This
slant gives an opportunity for erosion and gravity to start taking its place in
the process of the making of a waterfall. But, if you have a flat stream or
river, there won't be a time for gravity to happen in and you will only have
water eroding downwards into the ground.
When you have that slant in the river or stream, the water current
starts to cause a process called erosion. When erosion occurs, the river
sweeps away the soft rock, leaving more of a slant in the river. But the
harder rock stays at the top part of the slant. This gives a chance for the
slant to get steeper. And as this happens, the water flow will get faster and
stronger. This causes the bottom of the slant to become a pool. When the
water plunges at the bottom of the pool, the water flow circulates, and
starts to erode in back of the slant and create a cave. But eventually, the
harder rock, that's on top, won't be able to take the pressure of the water,
and will cave in. And when this happens, the slant will become a lot steeper,
and will be steep enough to be considered a waterfall, said Slithers the
Snake.
Thank you so much, but we best be going now are parents are probably
worried, said Mia.
But first you must simply feel the water, said Slithers.
Ok, said Mia. And stuck her hand into the water. Wo... and suddenly
she fell into the water as though the bracelet was pulling her.
It must be the metals on the bottom, thought Caleb and dived in after
her. Mia and Caleb tumbled around until Mia hit her wrist on a rock. And in a
flash they were gone.

13

Caleb Rivers
and Mia Woods.
And we dont
know how we got
here.

Who goes
there?

Well, I am Bella the

Bat, and I can teach you
about the cave if you
want.
Great!
Let's get
started.

14

Many caves are formed when water seeps through the cracks in the
earth. When the water hits limestone underground, it slowly creates a
hollow space. Over many years the cracks grow into tunnels and rooms
inside huge rocks.
Caves can be unique and beautiful because they can be filled with
amazing formations and animals that you dont see every day. Water
helps make the different formations. The most common are stalactites
and stalagmites. These are formed when water drops from a cave
ceiling to the floor. When the water dries, it leaves bits of limestone.
When the stone hangs down from the ceiling they are called stalactites.
When the forms grow bigger on the floor of a cave they are called
stalagmites.
Now that you know some about caves we can go farther in, said
Bella.
Ok, said Mia.

15

Wow!
This is so
much darker.
What kind of
creatures live
in caves?

16

There are
many different
kinds of animals
that live in
caves.

Some animals just visit caves but spend most of their lives outside. These
animals include bears, foxes, snakes, groundhogs, raccoons, and rats. Some
birds like to build nests in the entrance of a cave, such as swallows.
Other kinds of animals live both outside and inside caves. The most common
are bats. They spend the day sleeping while hanging upside down in a cave.
When it is night they go out and hunt mosquitos and gnats. Salamanders,
beetles, millipedes, and centipedes are some other creatures that live both in
caves and outside.
Some creatures spend their whole lives in caves. They are found in the
very back of the cave where it is completely dark. These are very different
because they look transparent or white. Many of them are blind or dont have
eyes at all. The most common of these are salamanders, shrimp, crabs,
crayfish, and millipedes. The olm is a type of salamander who lives underwater
its whole life. It has gills on the side of its head that allow it to breathe.
Thanks Bella, but we should get going, said Caleb
Lets see where we will go next, said Caleb and hit Mias wrist. With a
Flash! they were gone.

17

They were back in Caleb's bedroom standing on the floor.

Mia do you want to sleep over tonight? yelled
Calebs mom up the stairs.
Sure Mrs. Rivers. Thank you, answered Mia.
So Caleb and Mia spent the rest of the day and night
trying to find out how the bracelet had sent them
through so many mysterious adventures. And where it
would take them next.

18

Hot fluid or semifluid material below or within

the earth's crust from which lava and other
igneous rock is formed by cooling.

Magma:

dozen or so plates that

Tectonic Plates: The
make up the surface of the Earth.
The region of the earth's
interior between the crust and
the core.

Mantle:
Subduction:

The sideways and downward movement

of the edge of a plate of the earth's
crust into the mantle beneath another
plate.

Accretion:

The process of growth or increase,

typically by the gradual accumulation of
additional layers or matter.

Capstone:
Stalagmites:

A stone fixed on top of

something, typically a wall.
A mound or tapering column rising
from the floor of a cave, formed of
calcium salts deposited by dripping
water and often uniting with a
stalagmite.

Follett, Katherine. Cave Dwellers. N.p.: Learning A-Z, n.d.

Print.
Freedman, Jeri. The Creation of Mountains. New York: Rosen
Central, 2010. Print.
Granger, Ronald. Exploring Earths Surface. New York: Power
Kids, 2013. Print.
Harrison, David L. Caves: Mysteries Beneath Our Feet.
Pennsylvania: Boyd Mills Press, 2001. Print.
Nemeth, Jason D. Plate Tectonics. New York: Power Kids,
2012. Print.
Shannon, Terry Miller. Mysterious Caves. N.p.: Learning A-Z,
n.d. Print.
Silver, Donald M. Cave: One Small Square. New York: Learning
Triangle, 1993. Print.

addy is an
energetic,
creative girl
who likes
soccer and
being crazy!

Grant is a 12
year old rock
climber who
loves acting
and hacking
computers.

Emily is an
animal lover,
who loves to
draw, and likes
nature.

Ruby is a 12
year old
with a very
unique
personality,
who loves
doing aerial
silks!

Read this book to jump

into an amazing magical
adventure where you will
find everything you need
to know and more about
landforms far and wide.