Fold Mountains With Towels

Stacked towels are used to represent rock layers. Pushing the stack from opposite sides compresses the layers into folds and ridges, modeling how converging tectonic plates create fold mountains and valleys near faults.

1. Gather four towels of different colors and a flat floor or tabletop.
2. Stack the towels neatly, alternating colors to represent different rock strata.
3. Smooth the stack so the layers start flat and aligned.
4. Place your hands on opposite edges of the towel stack.
5. Push both edges inward at the same time with steady pressure to compress the stack.
6. Observe ridges, valleys, and curved folds forming across the layered towels.
7. Release and repeat with different amounts of force or speed to compare the results.

Make Your Own Mountains! - SciShow Kids:

📄 Fold mountains using towels activity - Fizzics Education: https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/150-science-experiments/geology-rocks/fold-mountains-using-towels-activity/?srsltid=AfmBOoqBeRtJysV9Pw44kgaV5PJfOiDMA296_yXT-86AdcxN9JtXerBB

• Use towels of different thicknesses to see how stronger or weaker layers fold differently.
• Put thin foam sheets, cardboard, or bubble wrap beneath the towels to simulate uneven basement rock.
• Place a rigid book in the middle of the stack to show how strong blocks can force sharper buckling.
• Try gentle, sustained pushing versus short, sudden shoves to compare folding and faulting.

• Clear the floor to prevent tripping hazards while pushing the towels.
• Wash hands after the activity if shared towels are used.
• Avoid rapid shoves that could cause students to lose balance.

• What do the towels represent in Earth science terms? (Layered sedimentary rock strata.)
• What type of plate boundary does this model represent? (A convergent boundary where plates move toward each other.)
• Where would the highest “mountain peaks” appear in the model? (Near the center where compression is greatest.)
• How does towel thickness affect the folds you see? (Thicker or stiffer layers resist bending and produce broader, higher folds; thinner layers form tighter folds.)
• What do the valleys between folds represent in real landscapes? (Synclines and intervening valleys formed during compression.)
• Why might sudden, strong pushes sometimes create a slip instead of smooth folds? (Stress can exceed strength, causing a fault-like slip rather than gradual bending.)
• How is this model different from real mountain building? (Real rocks are under immense pressure and heat over millions of years, with additional processes like metamorphism, erosion, and variable rock strengths that the towel model simplifies.)
• Give a real-world example of fold mountains formed at convergent margins. (The Himalayas formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.)