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us

Sedimentary Rocks

Grade Level: 9 – 12

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce sedimentary rocks.

Students will learn what sedimentary rocks are and how they form. It will
teach them how to identify some common examples.

Suggested Goals: Students will shake a flask of sand and water to see how
particles settle. They will draw a picture showing where the various rocks form
and they will identify some common examples.

Targeted Objectives: All of Illinois is covered by sedimentary rocks. In

most places, they reach a thickness that could be expressed in miles rather
than feet. Ancient seas dropped untold numbers of particles for hundreds of
millions of years creating the layers that bury the original igneous rocks in
2,000 to 17,000 feet of sedimentary layers. These valuable layers are used to
construct our homes, build our highways, and some were even used to heat
our homes.

The Illinois Basin dominates the geology of southern Illinois. There the layers
dip down until they are over three miles thick. The geology of Illinois cannot be
told without discussing sedimentary rocks because they are what Illinois is
made of.
Students will learn to tell the difference between the major sedimentary
rock varieties.
Students will learn in what environments different sedimentary rocks
form.
Students will learn what sedimentary rocks are.

Background: Most sedimentary rocks are formed when weathering

crumbles the parent rock to such a small size that they can be carried by wind
or water. Those particles suspended in water collide with one another
countless times gradually becoming smaller and more rounded. When water is
moving quickly due to flooding or due to a rapid change in elevation, larger
particles can be carried by the streams and rivers but when the water slows
down the particles begin to settle out. The particles dropped from water and
wind are called sediment. As layers become thicker, the bottom particles get
squeezed closer and closer together under the crushing weight.

Many of the organisms that live in the oceans have shells and skeletons that
are made of calcium carbonate. Their decay releases a natural cement into
the water. The cement glues the particles of rock back together forming
sedimentary rock. People who live in homes with hard water see the amazing
 Illinois State Museum Geology Online – http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us

affect of this calcium carbonate glue in their showerheads as the holes

gradually become closed until the spray is reduced to a trickle.

The variety of sedimentary rock often depends on the size of the particles that
make up the rock. Conglomerate, sandstone, and shale form from different
sized particles.

Conglomerate usually forms in places with fast moving water. Finding

conglomerate made of large particles often suggests that when they were
formed there were mountains nearby. Conglomerate means a variety and
that is a fitting name because there are usually large and small particle
intermingled within the rock.

Sandstone forms where the flow is slower. Sand grains bounce down streams
without much difficulty so even slow moving streams can carry vast amounts
of sand.

Shale is made from silt (dirt) in the water. The particles are so small that they
can stay suspended in water for quite a while even after the river or stream
has stopped flowing. The silt gradually settles to the bottom.

Limestone and Dolomite do not form from particles washed from the land.
They usually form on the ocean bottom far out to sea where no particles from
the land ever reach.

Limestone is made from an infinity of microscopic skeletons that rain down

on the sea floor. In some cases the shells of larger organisms such as
brachiopods are found, too. Limestone is almost totally calcium carbonate.

Dolomite is similar to limestone except that it forms in the ocean in places

that have magnesium dissolved in the water. It often forms from limestone as
the calcium in calcite is partially replaced by magnesium.

Materials and Preparation:

Several 500 ml flasks (or larger) filled with 250 ml of sandbox (river)
sand and then filled to 400 ml with water. Tightly seal each with a
cork. A long jump pit is a good place to find the sand.
Containers to catch any water that might spill from the flasks
Typing paper
Colored pencils
Collections of limestone, sandstone, shale, and conglomerate. If
possible, have enough collections so that there can be groups of
two or three.
Magnifiers
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Procedure: Pass out the flasks of sand created as described above and give
each group a container for spills; in case there is an accident. Have the
students shake the flasks quickly back and forth and then turn them while the
water is still churning so that the cork end is down. Stop shaking. Have the
students observe the sand and answer the following questions.

Discussion:
1. Where are the larger particles and why? Near the bottom because they could
not stay suspended in the water very long when the shaking stopped.

2. Are there just large pieces at the bottom? No the large pieces are surrounded
by hundreds of grains of sand.

3. As you look higher in the flask what is happening to the size of the sand
grains? They are getting smaller.

4. Did all of the particles settle out right away? No the water remained cloudy
and a thin layer of silt is being deposited on top.

5. When a river enters the ocean, the water slows down suddenly just like
when you stopped shaking the flask. Which particles would you expect to drop
closest to the mouth of the river? The largest ones.

6. If you were to sample the sand near a rivers mouth and then take another
sample father out to sea, what would you expect to find? Farther out the sand
particles would be smaller.

7. What would settle out even farther that the sand? Silt (mud)

Preparation And Procedure: Draw the following diagram on the board and
have your students copy it onto a piece of typing paper. Have them label and
color it for a homework assignment. As you draw the diagram point out why
each particle forms where it does.

Gravels are close to shore because they are too large to stay suspended.
Sometimes gravel does not occur if the stream flow is too slow.

Sand is the next particle to settle out because it is the next largest but the
sand grains become smaller and smaller the farther they are from shore.
 Illinois State Museum Geology Online – http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us

Mud is next to settle out because the tiny particles of silt can stay suspended
for a very long time, like they did in the flask, after the water has stopped
moving.

The material farthest out forms from shells because no material from the land
can make it far out to sea. This is where limestone forms. The only things that
settle on the bottom far out to sea are those from the sea itself such as shells
and dissolved minerals.

Discussion:
1. How would sedimentation be different in an environment where a very slow
moving river enters the ocean? The first particles to settle out would be sand or
mud. Where there was a fast current? The first particles would be larger.

2. None of the beaches in Florida have gravels. What is the major reason?
Florida is very flat. The highest point is only 345 feet and most of the state is much
lower. Florida streams are very slow moving so sand particles are the largest
particles that they can carry.

3. What property of sedimentary rocks is used to identify most of them? The

size of the particles

4. Which sedimentary rock is NOT identified by its particle size? Limestone,

its identification is based on the chemical that it is made of which is calcium
carbonate.
 Illinois State Museum Geology Online – http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us

5. Activity

Identification of Sedimentary Rocks

Materials
Collections of sedimentary rocks
Magnifiers
A Drawing from the previous activity for each group
Weak hydrochloric acid or vinegar in acid bottles

CAUTION…If you are diluting strong hydrochloric acid be sure to add the acid
to water and NOT water to acid. Have your students wear safety goggles if
they are using hydrochloric acid.

Preparation and Procedure: Prepare several collections of rocks so that

each contains a specimen of sandstone, limestone, shale, and conglomerate.
Make enough so that you will have enough sets for groups of two or three
students.

Hint…Small baskets, boxes, or baggies work well and can be kept from year
to year.

Purchase dilute hydrochloric acid and place it in acid bottles with droppers. If
you are mixing the acid from concentrate, be sure to add the acid
slowly to water and not water to the acid. Wear gloves, long sleeves,
and safety glasses while doing the mixing.

If you are using vinegar, make sure before the lab that the limestone
specimens you are using will bubble when a drop of vinegar is placed on them.
Some do not!

Have your students use the descriptions on their lab sheet to identify each
specimen.
Have the students use one of their groups drawings for this activity. Ask your
students to place each variety of rock on the section of their group’s drawing
where it would occur. A piece of conglomerate will be placed near the
shoreline where it appears on the picture and so forth.
 Illinois State Museum Geology Online – http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us

Student Activity Sheet

Identification of Sedimentary Rocks

Now that you have learned about the different kinds of sedimentary rocks and
know how each forms, you are going to try to identify each. As you learned,
most sedimentary rocks are identified by the size of the particles that make
them.

Use a copy of the picture that one of your group drew in the previous activity.
It shows where each variety of sedimentary rock is likely to form. When you
determine what a rock in your collection is, place it on the section of the
picture where that rock would form. Conglomerate would form near the shore
so your piece of conglomerate would be placed over the drawing where the
conglomerate was drawn.

How to Tell the Rocks Apart?

Conglomerate…Pieces of gravel cemented together (see ISM Geology Online
picture of “conglomerate”)

Sandstone…Feels gritty, often pieces of sand can be rubbed off. With a

magnifier grains of sand may be visible. (see ISM Geology Online picture of
“sandstone”)

Shale…Feels smooth, does NOT bubble when you put a drop of acid or vinegar
on it.

Limestone…Feels smooth and bubbles when you place a drop of acid or vinegar
on it since it is made of calcium carbonate. Fossils may be visible. If none are
visible try using a magnifier. It is possible that none will be visible, even with
the magnifier if the limestone is made of microscopic fossils. (see ISM Geology
Online picture of “limestone”)
 Illinois State Museum Geology Online – http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us

Assessment:
1. Correct the pictures showing the environment where each rock variety
would form.

2. Give a lab test in which each student identifies each of the four specimens
of sedimentary rocks.

3. Have your students answer the following essay questions,

A. How are sedimentary rocks different from one another
B. Tell what conditions would produce each variety of sedimentary rock
and where each variety of sedimentary rocks would form?
C. If forces were to create mountains in Florida, how would that affect
the beaches there?” They would become rock beaches instead of sand.

4. Have your students reproduce the rock drawing from memory.

Extensions:
Place shale, sandstone in a bag and have students try to identify them without
looking.

Collect specimens from a stream or other source.

Have students create sedimentary rock collections.

Make a list of things made from sedimentary rocks; such things as plaster,
plasterboard, grinding stones, coal, cement, driveways, etc.

Create a poster similar to the drawing that the students did in class.
Permanently glue specimens to it showing which rock would form in each
place.

Print Resources
Geology Underfoot in Illinois by Raymond Wiggers, Mountain Press Publishing
Company, Missoula, Montana . 1997. 800-234-5308

The Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals available in most
bookstores.

The Pocket Guide to Rocks and Minerals by Michael O’Donoghue. London:

Parkgate Books. 1991, 1999. Available in most bookstores.

Peterson Field Guide Rocks and Minerals by Frederick H. Pough. Boston:

Houghton Mifflin Company. 1996. Available in most bookstores.
 Illinois State Museum Geology Online – http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us

Video Resources
RockMan Video http://www.infinity-multimedia.com/order.html Infinity
Multimedia, LLC Eugene, Oregon (541) 683-6650;a great video that shows
uses for rock and gravel.

Web Resources
The Illinois Geologic Survey, http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/isgshome/isgshome.html

Mineral Identification Project http://www.ironorchid.com/minerals/

ISM Geologyonline geogallery

http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us/geogallery

Lesson Specifics:
This activity will take about two class periods.
It is desirable to have groups of two or three for the lab portions.
Lab tables should be used so that there is no spillage of the acid.

Illinois State Board of Education Goals and Standards:

11.A.4c: Collect, organize and analyze data accurately and precisely.
12.E.4b: Describe how rock sequences and fossil remains are used to
interpret the age and changes in the Earth.
12.E.5: Analyze the processes involved in naturally occurring short-term
and long-term Earth events (e.g., floods, ice ages, temperature,
sea-level fluctuations).