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[[image]]

Now have them look at area F.  Can they see any similarities between area B and F?  They should recognize similar branching patterns.  How can that be if the river doesn't flow into area F?  Ask them to speculate.

Now have them look more closely at the river as it flows from New Orleans to the delta.  They may notice that the banks of the river are precisely defined.  Look, for example, at area A.  It doesn't branch in A as it does in B.  It looks human engineered, like a channel created to force water in a particular direction.  The same precise edges can be seen all the way back to New Orleans.

Notice how the city (C) is to the river.  If rivers flood, isn't that a dangerous location?  Perhaps this whole portion of the Mississippi has been engineered for safety, flood control and management of the deposition.  Maybe the river used to flow into area F, but now the river is directed elsewhere through some combination of natural changes in the river's path and human engineering. The description on the back of the image says that the Chandeleur Islands (E) are "remnants of the older delta lobe."  What does that mean?

Teacher's Guide          Page 9.18