Sedimentary Environments Matching
Summary
Students match sediments (in rock form) to depositional environments. Students observe grain size, clast shape, sedimentary structures, and fossil content in pictures or unlabeled samples and use those characteristics to infer depositional environments. The goal is to link physical sediment properties with the energy of their depositional settings. I will usually complete this activity with hand samples and the environments image projected on the board, but this is what students turn in.
Collapse
Context
Audience
This activity is used in an introductory physical geology course for undergraduate students, both majors and non-majors.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Students should understand the relationship between energy and grain size, the significance of clast rounding, and the formation of sedimentary structures and fossils. Familiarity with common sedimentary environments (e.g., alluvial fan, river, beach, delta, deep marine) is helpful.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Infer depositional environment from observable sedimentary features
Understand how physical processes shape sediments in different environments
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Evaluate and revise interpretations based on new observations
Recognize patterns that distinguish between energy levels and environmental settings
Skills goals for this activity
Practice visual and tactile observation of rock samples or images
Record and organize descriptive data
Collaborate with peers to compare interpretations and refine reasoning
Description and Teaching Materials
Matching environments student handout (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 13.5MB Jun10 25)
Assessment
Observe and describe each sample in terms of grain size, rounding, and composition
Match each sample to a plausible depositional environment from a provided list.
Justify their reasoning based on geologic principles.