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Sedimentary Rock From Sand: Syringe Simulation
http://www.rsc.org/Education/Teachers/Resources/jesei/sedimen/students.htm
From DLESE Community Collection (DCC)
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This activity will allow students to simulate the formation of sedimentary rocks by compressing sand, water, and other materials in a syringe. The products are allowed to dry, and students will investigate how the properties of the samples of sedimentary rocks so formed are dependent on the extent of their compaction and cementation. The activity will help to explain that for most sediments to become rocks the grains need to be squeezed together (compacted) and/or glued together (cemented) and that the extent of the compaction and the strength of the cementation affect the properties of sedimentary rocks.
Intended for grade levels:
  • Middle (6-8)
Type of resource:
  • For the classroom:
    • Lab activity
Subject:
  • Geological Sciences:
    • Mineralogy or petrology
Technical requirements:
No specific technical requirements, just a browser required
Cost / Copyright:
No cost
Copyright is waived for original material published on this site if the material is required for use within the laboratory or classroom. The copyright of material reproduced by permission of other publishers rests with the originating publisher.
DLESE Catalog ID: DLESE-000-000-006-587
Educational standards:
  • National Science Education Standards (NSES):
    • 5-8:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Evidence, models, and explanation
      • A - Science as inquiry:
        • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
      • B - Physical science:
        • Properties and changes of properties in matter
      • D - Earth and space science:
        • Structure of the earth system
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:
Publisher: Joint Earth Science Education Initiative (JESEI)