The Great Flood That Carved the Canyon
Narrator: Welcome to the edge of the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho! Before us stands Shoshone Falls, a waterfall even taller than Niagara Falls. But how did this massive canyon get here? Let’s travel through time with our team to find out.
Maya: Look at those towering dark cliffs! They look like giant stone steps. Dr. Ramos, did a simple river really carve out this huge canyon?
Dr. Ramos: Excellent question, Maya. The Snake River flows through here today, but it did not do all this heavy lifting alone. It had help from one of the greatest floods in Earth's history: the ancient Bonneville Flood!
Captain John: A flood? As an explorer of these western lands, I have seen mighty rivers, but the sheer size of this canyon is mind-blowing. When did this great flood happen?
Dr. Ramos: Around fifteen thousand years ago, during the last Ice Age. To the south, in what is now Utah, there was a massive body of water called Lake Bonneville. It was almost as large as Lake Michigan!
Narrator: Imagine a lake so full that the water had nowhere left to go.
Maya: So, what happened? Did the lake overflow?
- catastrophic:
- Involving or causing sudden, great damage or major physical changes to the earth.
- basalt:
- A dark, hard volcanic rock that often forms towering cliffs or columns.
- torrent:
- A fast, strong, and rushing stream of water or other liquid.
- discharge:
- To release, pour out, or empty water from a source.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where is Shoshone Falls located?
- 2How does the height of Shoshone Falls compare to Niagara Falls?
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About this reader's theater passage for Upper Elementary
“The Great Flood That Carved the Canyon” is a reader's theater reading passage about The Bonneville Flood and Shoshone Falls, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (396 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.