Station 1: Plaster & Ice
- This station has 2 cups filled with plaster.
- Before the plaster dried, a water balloon the size of a ping pong ball was placed in one of the cups.
- The cups were placed in the freezer overnight.
1. Observe what happened to the plaster in each cup.
2. Make a hypothesis that can explain your observations.
- Please return everything back to the lab bucket.
Station 2: Shoreline Erosion
- Look through pgs. 174-194 to find the questions on your lab sheet.
- Record the answers.
Station 3: Sour Trick
- This station contains pieces of marble, a pipette, paper towel, a hand lens, a pestle and lemon juice.
- Remove 2 marble chips from the jar and place in the silver tray.
- Use the pestle to gently crush the marble chips into powder.
- Using the hand lens to observe, slowly drop a small amount of lemon juice onto the marble powder. Observe what happens.
- Extrapolate the results of this demonstration outside the classroom.
- Please empty the marble powder into the trash & use a paper towel to wipe the tray. Return items to lab bucket.
Station 4: Penny for your Thoughts
- This station has 4 sets of pennies. All were tarnished on day 1.
- 2 pennies have been exposed to air for 3 days. 2 have been exposed to salt for 3 days. 2 have been exposed to salt + vinegar for 3 days. 2 have been exposed to salt + vinegar + hydrogen peroxide for 3 days.
- Observe each beaker of pennies.
- Predict what would happen if you let the pennies sit for another 7 days.
- Extrapolate the results of this demonstration outside the classroom.
Station 5: Erosion & Deposition by Wind
- Look through pgs. 174-194to find the questions on your lab sheet.
- Record the answers.
Station 6: Acid Rain?
- This station contains chalk, a bottle of vinegar, a bottle of water, an ice cube tray, and 2 empty jars.
- Place a small piece of chalk into each jar (okay to break chalk).
- Fill 1 jar ½ full of vinegar. Fill the other jar ½ full of water.
- After 1 minute, empty each jar’s contents into separate compartments in the ice cube tray.
- Compare and contrast the chalk with the vinegar with the chalk with the water.
- Extrapolate the results of this demonstration outside the classroom.
- Dispose of the chalk and rinse out the jars and ice cube tray for the next group. Return items to lab bucket.
Station 7: Erosion & Deposition by Ice
- Look through pgs. 174-194to find the questions on your lab sheet.
- Record the answers.
Station 8: Shake, Rattle & Roll (I)
- This station contains 2 jars and an ice cube tray. Ask Ms. Tipple for 2 mints.
- Place 1 mint in each jar and fill each ½ full with water.
- Let 1 jar sit on the table for 1 full minute. At the same time, gently shake the other jar for the full minute.
- After the minute, empty the contents of each jar into separate compartments of the ice cube tray.
- Compare and contrast the 2 mints.
- Extrapolate the results of this demonstration outside the classroom.
- Dispose of the mints, rinse out the jars and ice cube tray for the next group. Return items to lab bucket.
Station 9: Shake, Rattle & Roll (II)
- This station contains a “Shake Me” bottle and a “Do Not Shake Me” bottle. Both bottles contain identical amounts and types of materials (water, sand, gravel).
- Gently (but completely) shake the “Shake Me” bottle for 1 full minute. Do NOT shake the other bottle.
- Compare and contrast the materials in the 2 bottles.
- Return items to lab bucket.
Station 10: Make-Up
- Use this time as a make-up to work on the other stations you visited, but did not get to finish while there.
Name:______Period:____Date:______
Erosion & Deposition Lab
Erosion is the process by which wind, water, and ice slowly wear down and break apart rock. When erosion continues for long enough, it can wash mountains into the sea! Erosion is mainly considered a DESTRUCTIVE geological force. If it were not for volcanoes and some earthquakes (constructive forces), all of Earth’s mountains would have been flattened thousands if not millions of years ago.
Instructions: Read the information at each station before performing the tasks. Leave each station clean and in order for the next group.
Station 1: Plaster & Ice
1. What happened to the plaster that contained the balloon?
2. What happened to the plaster that had no balloon?
3. How does this demonstration show what happens when water seeps into a crack in rock and freezes?
Station 2: Shoreline Erosion
1. What is the source of energy for waves?
2. What is a way that waves have helped shape the shoreline?
3. Explain how beaches are formed.
4. Why are some beaches different from others?
5. How is beach sand moved along a shoreline?
Station 3: Sour Trick
1. What did you observe when you placed the lemon juice on the marble powder?
2. Do you think all types of rock would show a similar display? Why or why not?
3. How does this demonstration relate to weathering?
Station 4: Penny for your Thoughts
1. Air pennies – did they change? If yes, how so?
2. Salt pennies – did they change? If yes, how so?
3. Salt + vinegar pennies – did they change? If yes, how so?
4. Salt + vinegar + peroxide pennies – did they change? If yes, how so?
5. What do you think would happen if we left them in the beakers for another 7 days?
6. Pennies made before 1982 are almost pure copper. Pennies made after 1982 are almost pure zinc (with copper coating). There is 1 of each in each beaker. Does this demonstration show how these 2 elements erode? Why or why not?
7. Which group of pennies from above serves as the control group in this experiment?
Station 5: Erosion & Deposition by Wind
Fill in the chart:
What it is…. / Cause…. / Effect….Wind Erosion
Salination
Deflation
Abrasion
Wind Deposited Materials
Dunes
Loess
Station 6: Acid Rain?
1. What happened to the chalk in the vinegar jar?
2. What happened to the chalk in the water jar?
3. Why do you think there is a difference?
4. Chalk is made of calcite, a mineral found in many sedimentary rocks. Does this demonstration show how this mineral erodes? Why or why not?
Station 7: Erosion & Deposition by Ice
1. How does glaciation change the appearance of mountains?
2. Explain why continental glaciers smooth the landscape and alpine glaciers smooth the landscape and create a rugged landscape.
3. Why is the study of glaciers important?
4. What do moraines indicate?
Station 8: Shake, Rattle & Roll (I)
1. What happened to the mint that was shaken for 1 minute?
2. What happened to the mint that sat for 1 minute?
3. This station is a model for a situation that could occur in nature. Where might you see something similar happening in nature?
4. Does this demonstration show how rocks erode? Why or why not?
Station 9: Shake, Rattle & Roll (II)
1. How did the materials look after you shook them for 1 minute?
2. Where might you find water similar to that in the “Shake Me” bottle in nature?
3. Where might you find water similar to that in the other bottle in nature?
4. As a fast-flowing river slows down, would you expect sand, soil, or pebbles to settle to the bottom LAST? Explain.