Methods II: Week 11

What did we do in lab this week?

We started by talking about the law of superposition, that the rocks further down in the earth are older than the ones above it. We also talked about how rocks are changed, through weathering/erosion (chemical or physical). We looked at different samples of sand and tried to determine if it was eroded by water, wind, or glaciers. 





What was the big question?
The big question was, how is sand made/what do different kinds of erosion cause? 

What did we learn in Thursday's discussion?
In our lecture, we did some investigations about what would float or sink in water and read a book about Archimedes' rule. We talked about how we could determine if the two objects were the same, using water displacement and buoyancy. Then we used this method to figure out how we can determine how many crystals/empty space are in a geode. We can decide how hollow a geode is using Specific Gravity. If it is less than 2.7, then it is at least somewhat hollow. If it is 2.7, then it is a solid rock and will be very hard to break open. 

This week's reading: Chapter 17: Rocks and the Rock Cycle

- I learned: That we have geodes in Iowa. Not because of lava cooling with a bubble in the middle, but because something was potentially carving out the inside of a rock of limestone or sandstone and made space for mineralized water to come in and help form crystals. 

- I found helpful: The video describing Archimedes' principle showed me the concept of the principle and helped me connect it to ideas I already had. 

- I need more info on: How long does it take for a sedimentary rock to be made? Can it occur through manmade ways by highly pressurizing rock together? Wouldn't that just break the rock? 


My questions/comments/concerns: 
What is the unit for specific gravity, just whatever measurement of weight you use? 

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