Week 8: Geodes, Weathering, & Erosion

 1. What did you do in lab today? 

Sand Lab

  • 1: Looks like little rocks, maybe from river
  • 2: more red-ish, maybe from the desert
  • 3: black, looks like rasins, maybe from river
  • 4: white, looks beachy, crystal like, maybe from beach
  • 5: looks crystal, colorful, maybe from cove or cave
  • 6: yellow-ish, small pebbles, from beach maybe or river
  • 7: brown, red-ish, small, from river/jungle
  • 8: Looks same as 7, small, neutral colors, maybe from river or desert
  • 9: looks like coal, black/gray, looks like from volcano (black sand beach)
  • 10: yellow, orange-ish, from desert? maybe a river, bigger pebbles --> abu dhabi 
  • 11: little white rocks, looks like little eggs, maybe from desert














Fossils Lab
  • Brachiopods - 3
  • Corals - 5
  • Most looks like just rocks 
  • we found a lot of coral and big looks rocks/fossils










Coral Fossils


2. What was the big question? How does the discovery of fossils that are millions of years old help us now, in the present?

3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion? 
Notes:

Was not at lecture, looked at presentation on ICON

  • Devonian period in Iowa
    • occurred 419 to 359 million years ago 
    • much of the state was submerged under water, shallow seas
    • marine environment --> brachiopods
    • triblobites
    • corals
    • crinoids
    • cephalopods
    • armored fish
  • characteristics of Sand
    • sand created through water: polished, smooth, generally similar in size
    • sand created through glaciers: polished, smooth, irregular in size
    • sand created through wind: opaque, frosted, pitted, very fine grained
  • Weathering
    • process by which rocks are attacked by the environment
      • mechanical weathering: simply breaking the rock down into smaller fragments
      • chemical weathering: chemical reactions alter the composition of a rock. The chemical sediment that forms from this type of erosion forms chemical sedimentary rocks.
  • Erosion
    • The movement of sediment:
  • Rock is weathered (broken down) then moved (erosion)
  • Law of superposition 
    • sedimentary rocks form layers that become buried under more layers over time.
      • the layers above are younger than the layers below
      • Superposition helps geologists deduce the relative ages of layers of rock
  • Principle of original horizontality: layers of sedimentary rocks are horizontal when they are formed
  • Characteristics of wind erosion
    • wind shadors
    • carves the earth
  • Glacier Erosion
    • moves huge particles

4. Read online textbook, chapter 8:
- What did you learn? 
  • Law of Superposition: Older rock layers lie beneath younger ones. This helps determine the relative age of geological formations
  • Law of Original horizontality: Rock layers are originally deposited in horizontal layers due to gravity
  • Geological disruptions: plate tectonics, erosion, weathering, and magma intrusions can alter or skew these layers, offering clues about Earth's history.
- What was most helpful? 
  • The visual example showing layers C,B,A, and D, along with the tectonic shift E, made the abstract concepts tangible.
  • The connection to NGSS standard 4-ESS1-1 helped link theory to classroom practice.
- What do you need more information on?
  • How to adapt these concepts for younger learners, especially ways to scaffold understanding of geological time and disruptions.
  • More hands-on activities or simulations that illustrate these laws in action
  • Strategies for integrating student storytelling or local geology into the unit to deepened relevance and engagement.
5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? What are some culturally responsive ways to connect local geology to students' identities or family histories?

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