I. California K-6 standards for Sedimentary Rocks

II. Goals for This Module

III. Sedimentary Rocks

IV. Classification of Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

V. Classification of Non-clastic Sedimentary Rocks

VI. Uses of Sedimentary Rocks

VII. Possible Essay Questions

VIII. Practice Questions

1. Kindergarten
1. Earth Sciences Topics
1. The Earth is composed of land, air, and water. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
1. how to identify resources from the Earth that are used in everyday life, and that many resources can be conserved.

 

2. Investigation and Experimentation
1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
1. observe common objects using the five senses.
2. describe the properties of common objects.
3. compare and sort common objects based on one physical attribute (including color, shape, texture, size, weight).
4. communicate observations orally and in drawings.

2. Grade 2
1. Earth Sciences Topics
1. Earth is made of materials that have distinct properties and provide resources for human activities. As the basis for understanding this concept, students know:
1. how to compare the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.
2. rocks, water, plants and soil provide many resources including food, fuel, and building materials that humans use.

 

2. Investigation and Experimentation
1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
1. compare and sort common objects based on two or more physical attributes (including color, shape, texture, size, weight).

3. Grade 4
1. Earth Sciences Topics
1. The properties of rocks and minerals reflect the processes that formed them. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
1. how to differentiate among igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks by their properties and methods of formation (the rock cycle).

4. Grade 6
1. Resources
1. Sources of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
1. different natural energy and material resources, including air, soil, rocks, minerals, petroleum, fresh water, wildlife, and forests, and classify them as renewable or nonrenewable.

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• To learn the processes that form sedimentary rocks.
• To learn the definitions of and proper spelling for scientific terms that are used commonly in newspapers, magazines, and books, and on television and radio programs to discuss sedimentary rocks.
• To learn how to identify the most common sedimentary rocks.
• To learn which sedimentary rocks serve as resources and how they are used in everyday life.

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• Definition - layered rocks that form at the surface of the earth either:
• by deposition of sediment particles from air, water, or ice environments (clastic or detrital rocks) or
• by precipitation of minerals from solution in water (nonclastic or chemical rocks).
• Making sediment into rock (lithification) -
• Compaction - sediment is squeezed and crushed until it holds together.
• Cementation - minerals are precipitated (crystallized) in the pore spaces between sediment particles so that they become glued together.

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• If made from weathered rock material, they are named according to the size of the sediment particles -
• Particles >2 mm in size (gravel) -

• Particles <1/16 mm in size (mud) -

Unlayered to moderately layered = mudstone
Very thinly layered = shale
Shale is the world's most abundant sedimentary rock

• Many of these rocks owe their origin to evaporation from very saline lagoons or lakes (evaporites).
• All are named according to the composition of the precipitated mineral.
• Made of the mineral calcite = limestone
• Made of the mineral gypsum = rock gypsum
• Made of the mineral halite = rock salt

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• Sedimentary rocks can be used to reveal the past history of the earth -
• Ancient current directions are determined from ripple marks.
• Oscillation (wave) ripple marks - current moves back and forth due to oscillating wave motion.
• Current ripple marks - current is in one direction.
• Ancient current directions also determined from flute marks.
• Ancient current directions are determined from cross bedding.
• Ancient arid conditions are indicated by chemical sedimentary rocks or mudcracks.
• Ancient glacial times are revealed by glacial conglomerate.
• Ancient swamp environments are determined from the presence of coal deposits.
• Various ancient environments are indicated by fossils -
• Four-legged animals reveal ancient land areas.
• Plants help to determine ancient land areas.
• Fish indicate ancient ocean or lake areas.
• Shellfish and other invertebrates also reveal ancient ocean or lake areas.
• Sedimentary rocks have great economic importance -
• Oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium, our major energy resources, are formed in and come from sedimentary rocks.
• Sand and gravel for construction come from sediment.
• Sandstone and limestone are used for building stone.
• Rock gypsum is used to make plaster.
• Limestone is used to make cement.
• Salt is used for flavoring.
• Phosphate-bearing sedimentary rocks are used for fertilizer.
• Quartz sand is used to make glass.

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VIII. Practice Questions

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