Name: _Izabela Sinor, Gilbert Puga, Cody Lawrence_

Lab 5- Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report

Complete your responses in a color other than black or red. You can also Highlight your answer

Part 1: Textural Maturity (Weathering)

1. Observe samples A and B. What type of weathering has occurred to change from sample A to B?
What evidence do you see for your conclusions?

I believe there was a chemical weathering that resulted in the sample going from A to B, specifically
oxidation, because of the color change in the rock.

2. Observe samples B and C. What type of weathering has occurred to change B into C? What
evidence do you see for your conclusions?

This weathering was physical and likely root weathering, because there is a large tree growing on the rock,
and its roots likely caused the split.

Part 2: Textural Maturity (Transportation and Deposition)

1. Is sample D mature or immature? Discuss grain size, shape and sorting.

I believe sample D is immature. The sediments inside it are well rounded; however, the grain size is still
very large, and it was not been sorted well yet.

2. Is sample E mature or immature? Discuss grain size, shape and sorting.

I believe sample E is immature as well. The sediments are still angular, and the grain size is very large. The
sample is poorly sorted.

3. Which sample was deposited closer to its source, D or E? Explain your answer.

I believe that sample E might be closer to its source, because while both are similar, sample E has more
angular shapes while sample D is rounder. This means that it is going to be closer to the source.

Part 3: Compositional Maturity

1. Consider the shale sample in figure 6. What environment(s) would you expect this sample to have
originated from? Why?

I believe it is from “deep marine” because of the dark color. There was not a lot of oxygen present during
its formation.

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 Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report
2. Consider the breccia sample in figure 6. What environment(s) would you expect this sample to have
originated from? Why?

I think it came from a beach, because it is red in color (meaning it was formed on land), but it has dark
shale sediments in it which is formed in deep water. The beach is where the rock could form with pieces of
deep-sea shale that washed up inside.

3. Consider the coal sample in figure 6. What environment(s) would you expect this sample to have
originated from? Why?

Anywhere you find carbon rich biomass that was buried along sedimentary layers where it can be mined.

4. Consider the limestone sample in figure 6. What environment(s) would you expect this sample to
have originated from? Why?

I believe the limestone was formed in shallow water. It is grey in color which means some oxygen was
present during its formation, but not a lot.

Part 4: Identifying Sedimentary Rocks

Textural
Rounding Reacts
Sediment/ Maturity
Sample Sorting to Rock Name
particle Size (if clastic) Acid?
(if clastic)

Fine Grain Not Well Not clastic no Coal

F
clastic sorted

Large grain Angular Poorly Immature no breccia

G
sorted

Large grain Rounded Poorly Immature No Conglomerate

H
sorted

Fine grain Rounded Well mature No Shale

I
sorted

Medium grain Rounded Moderatel Mature Yes Crystalline limestone

J
y Sorted

medium grain Sand Poorly Mature No Sandstone

K
sorted

Fine grain Silt Well Mature No Siltstone

L
sorted

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 Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report
Fine grain Not Well Not clastic No Chert
M
clastic sorted

Medium grain Not Moderatel Not clastic yes Fossiliferous limestone

N
clastic y sorted

Large Grain Not Poorly Not clastic yes coquina

O
clastic sorted

Part 5: Forming Sedimentary Structures

1. Sketch a picture of the arrangement of the dirt, sand, and soil in a dry environment on your
worksheet. 

2. Sketch what you observed in the tube at the paused 56 second mark of the YouTube video on your
worksheet. 

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 Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report

3. What are the differences between the mixture in water and the mixture in air?

In air the mixture is not sorted by size, all particles are intermingled. In water the biggest ones settle first,
so the particles sort themselves biggest to smallest.

4. What accounts for the difference in the style of deposition between the two mixtures?

Gravity pulls down the heavier rocks faster, because they are more dense.

5. If the following sample exhibits graded beds (as opposed to inverse graded beds) which side of it
was the top (i.e. youngest) at the time of deposition, A or B? 

B would be the top and the youngest at the time.

Part 6: Interpreting Sedimentary Structures

1. Sample Q: What features in this sample allow you to recognize its bedding?

The thickness of the bedding, different rock colors, and the cross beds help the layers to stand out more.

2. Why do you think some beds are thicker than others?

I think some beds are thicker than others, because the environment where they were the “youngest” rock
was much more stable. I was able to survive longer and the layer thickened.

3. Sample R:  Look at the cross-bed angles, grain size, and sorting.  Was this sand deposited by wind
or by water?  Explain.

I think these crossbeds were formed by water. The angle I got when I measured it was roughly 25 degrees
which puts it in the range for water formation.

4. How can you explain the fact that the cross-beds in Sample R slope in opposite directions?  What
can you say about the direction the current flowed or wind blew?

They likely slope in opposite directions, because the current of water that formed them changed directions.
The current was not in a fixed direction.

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 Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report
5. In what type of depositional environment could this rock (Sample R) have been deposited?
(Interesting note:  this rock is from the southern Mojave Desert, and is nearly 500 million years old!)

6. Sample S: Are the ripples in this sample asymmetrical or symmetrical?

I believe these are symmetrical ripples.

7. Which way was the current moving?  From (A to B), (B to A), or (Back and Forth)?

Back and forth to create these ripple marks.

8. Suggest a depositional environment in which this rock could have been formed.

Sample R was likely deposited on a beach where the tides can flow back and forth

9. Sample T:  Which side of Sample T was "up" during its formation, A or B?  (Assume side "A" is
the back side of this rock image.)

Side B is the “up” side of this rock image.

10. Name two environments in which mud cracks could form.

Abandoned river channels or dried ponds are two places where mud cracks could form.

Part 7: Soil Classifications by Grain Size Distribution (US Dept. of Agriculture

System)

1. Observe the test tubes on Canvas in Figure 10. Estimate the percentage of each layer. Record the data
from your samples:

Sample # Sand (ml, %) % Silt (ml, %) % Clay (ml, %) Total (ml, %)

1 57.14% 31.74% 9.52% 98.4

2 11.9% 47.61% 35.71% 95.22%

3 10% 60% 26% 96%

4 6% 0% 94% 100%

2. Use the USDA soil classification triangle on Canvas to assign a classification name to each sample:
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 Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report
 Sample 1: Sandy loam
 Sample 2: Silty clay loam
 Sample 3: Silty calm loam
 Sample 4: Clay

3. Perform a quick internet search on "what type of soil is best for plants". Are any of the soils you
classified good for growing a garden or starting a farm?

Yes, loam, clay, and sand or silt mixture are good for plants. All of the soils I classified would be good.

4. Of the four locations you classified in Part 7 question 2, which would be the best location to start a
farm?

I would say sample number 2 because It has silty, clay, and loam.

5. From where is most of the soil on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley derived? How does it get to
the valley?

6. What can you say about the relationship between the grain size distribution (sorting) of these soils and
their location?
 Sample 1:
 Sample 2:
 Sample 3:
 Sample 4:

7. What texture would you expect each of these samples to display based on the distance they traveled
from their source?

 Sample 1: Sandy large grain texture

 Sample 2: thick and smooth texture
 Sample 3: very smooth texture
 Sample 4: very chunky and sandy texture

Part 8: Wrap Up

1. What did you find most interesting about this lab?

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 Soil, Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments Lab Report
I really liked how there are ways to classify soil samples based on the percent of silt, clay, and sand in
them. It is interesting although I did not enjoy all the math, I had to do for it.

2. If you were to teach this topic, how would you improve this lab?

I would probably provide more lecture material covering the lab related parts of sedimentary rocks. The
charts are helpful, but I think going over it in a video and doing actual examples would help me more. It
is a bit difficult because I don’t know anything about rocks, and this feels so new. You’re doing a good
job though; I think it is mainly because we are online. It’s like I have to be able to complete these tough
labs, despite the fact I don’t learn well this way.