Abstract

Many students find the application of Walther's Law a temporal-spatial challenge. In this demonstration a set of large plastic tubes represents geographically separated locations (ultimately stratigraphic columns) for laterally adjacent environments. Brightly colored pickleballs are used to represent sediment deposited in each environment. As sea-level is lowered or raised, sediment (pickleballs) is deposited, producing a color-coded record of sedimentation. Students use this visual and interactive demonstration to practice interpreting the record of sea-level change from sedimentary sequences. A parallel table-top activity allows students to challenge each other to interpret the sea-level change history using colored beads and test-tubes, drawing facies boundaries on plexiglass. This activity scaffolds into stratigraphic column interpretation exercises for marginal marine and glaciomarine environments where students can validate their interpretations using the large or table-top models.

Context

I use this activity in several ways:
1.When I am introducing sedimentary environments and stratigraphic columns in Introductory classes
2. When I am teaching students about how we learn about past climates from sediments deposited on the Antarctic margin
3. When I am working with teachers or students to understand the sedimentary sequence in the Twin Cities and SE Minnesota.

Why It Works

1. Students enjoy putting their pens down and just being slightly goofy
2. The large colored pickleball 'columns' are easy to understand, and don't come with all the intimidating 'baggage' of geological symbols
3. Students can go back to the models and use them to test their understanding