Learning Journal 13

Which of the lists present examples of clastic, chemical, and biochemical sedimentary rocks (in that order)?

- sandstone, limestone, limestone - conglomerate, travertine, coal - shale, rock salt, limestone

Many simple events in our daily lives are similar to geological processes. The following are some everyday actions that you might have experienced. Identify which characteristic are analogous (similar) to different physical or chemical weathering processes. 1) Sugar disappearing in hot coffee 2) Rust forms on an old car 3) Pot holes form on road in winter

1) Chemical Dissolution 2) Chemical Oxidation 3) Physical Expansion Wedging

Match the statements to the appropriate class or type of sedimentary rock. 1) This rock type could be either formed by chemical or biochemical processes 2) This rock is formed by the actions of microscopic marine organisms 3) Gypsum is an example of this class of sedimentary rock 4)This type of sedimentary rock is made of fragments of other rocks or minerals

1) Limestone 2) Chalk 3) Chemical 4) Clastic

Identify which rock type would be the best fit for each of the sedimentary environments listed below. 1) Warm tropical marine waters along the continental shelf (e.g., Bahamas) 2) A hot spring 3) Streams flowing through a mountain 4) This rock formed when the waters in the Mediterranean Sea evaporated approximately 6 million years ago 5)A biochemical rock found in a tropical swamp

1) Limestone 2) Travertine 3) Conglomerate 4) Coal 5) Rock salt

Imagine that you are given a hammer, a small bottle of weak acid, and a piece of limestone about the size of a small, fat dog.Your instructions are to provide a demonstration of the difference between physical and chemical weathering processes. Briefly describe your demonstration using two or three sentences.

I would use the hammer to smash apart the limestone, since physical weathering is when rocks are physically broken apart. To illustrate the concept of chemical weathering, I would pour the weak acid onto the limestone and discuss how the resulting chemical reactions would gradually break down minerals within the rock, leading to the formation of new minerals.

Which of the following statements best describes the process of lithification?

The result of the compaction of sediment grains and subsequent addition of a cementing agent by groundwater.