Choose Learning Type ▼

Landforms of Memorial Park

Activity

Exploring Hills, Valleys and More

Take a walk around the Park and point out the natural landforms you encounter: hills, valleys, streams, cliffs, and the Memorial Fault. How do you think these landforms were shaped?

Science Seed

Memorial Park’s landforms have been shaped by powerful natural forces over millions of years, including erosion, flooding, and tectonic activity. The Park’s valleys and rolling hills were carved by the slow movement of water, cutting through soil and rock. One fascinating feature here is the Memorial Fault, located in Clay Family Eastern Glades. This fault line has created a 3-foot-high slope that traps rainwater at its base, forming a large natural wetland. This wetland has a unique shape: one side has a straight edge formed by the fault, while the opposite side fluctuates seasonally with rainfall. Beneath the Park, sedimentary rocks laid down by ancient seas and lifted by tectonic forces contribute to the area’s hills, valleys, and streams, showing the impact of both water and tectonic shifts on the land we see today.

move to the next activity

earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore Memorial Park Conservancy

The mission of Memorial Park Conservancy is to preserve, restore, and enhance Memorial Park for the enjoyment of all Houstonians, today and tomorrow.

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

This project was made possible by