Page 174 - Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology

BIG IDEAS PRE-LAB VIDEO

Sediments are loose particles of Earth materials,
including rock fragments, mineral grains weathered
from rocks, animal shells, twigs, crystals precipitated
from evaporating water, and chemical residues like rust.
Sedimentary rocks form wherever the loose particles
of sediment are compacted, cemented, or otherwise
hardened to a solid mass. Layers of sediments and
sedimentary rocks are like pages of a book. Their fossils
and geologic structures tell us about Earth’s history and
past environments and ecosystems.

FOCUS YOUR INQUIRY

|
THINK What do sedimentary rocks look like? How can
About It they be classified into groups?
ACTIVITY 6.1 Sedimentary Rock Inquiry (p. 154 )

|
THINK What are sedimentary rocks made of, and how
About It are they formed?
ACTIVITY 6.2 Mount Rainier Sediment Analysis (p. 154 )

ACTIVITY 6.3 Clastic and Detrital Sediment (p. 154 )
ACTIVITY 6.4 Biochemical and Chemical Sediment
and Rock (p. 155 )

ACTIVITY 6.5 Sediment Analysis, Classification, and
Interpretation (p. 155 )

|
THINK How do geologists describe, classify, and identify
About It sedimentary rocks?
ACTIVITY 6.6 Hand Sample Analysis and
L A B O R A T O R Y 6 Interpretation (p. 160 )

|
THINK What can sedimentary rocks tell us about Earth’s
Sedimentary About It history and past environments and ecosystems?
ACTIVITY 6.7 Grand Canyon Outcrop Analysis and
Processes, Rocks, Interpretation (p. 163 )

and Environments ACTIVITY 6.8 Using the Present to Imagine the Past—
Dogs and Dinosaurs (p. 163 )

ACTIVITY 6.9 Using the Present to Imagine the Past—
C ONTRIBUTING A UTHORS Cape Cod to Kansas (p. 166 )

Harold Andrews • Wellesley College
James R. Besancon • Wellesley College ACTIVITY 6.10 “Reading” Earth History from a Sequence

Pamela J.W. Gore • Georgia Perimeter College of Strata (p. 167 )
Margaret D. Thompson • Wellesley College

The grains in this detrital sedimentary rock are clasts (broken pieces)
of older rocks (x1). Some of the clasts are freshly broken and angular.
Others clasts had their corners worn down and are now rounded.
153