STRATIFICATION OF ROCKS

for Earth Science – Senior High School (Core Subject)

Quarter 2 / Week 4
 FOREWORD

Dear Senior High School students. Welcome back to this week’s self-
learning kit where you will journey to the new lesson. This learning kit will serve
as a guide in understanding deeply the concepts on stratification and dating
of rocks.

In this learning kit you will gain knowledge in explaining the stratification
or layering of rocks through the deposition, generally of sedimentary rocks. It
will also broaden your ideas on the factors which cause the formation of layers
of rocks and how rock stratification will be useful in understanding past
environments. It will also describe the laws which help in explaining how rocks
are formed and changed over time. Activities and post evaluation are
included to make learning more fun and exciting.

Hence, this learning kit will be your aid as you embark new scientific
words, ideas and enrich your existing knowledge about scientific concepts.

The author of this module has been an experienced teacher in the field
of Biology and teaching core and applied subjects in the Senior High
Curriculum.

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OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Explain the concept of stratification of rocks.
2. Describe the general rules, or laws, that are used to
determine how rocks were created and how they
changed through time.
3. Appreciate the effects of rocks layering of the earth’s crust
as it relates to time.

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Describe how the layers of rocks (stratified rocks) are formed.

(S11ES-IIh-35)

I. WHAT HAPPENED

Let’s Have Fun: FOUR- PICS, ONE- WORD

Directions. Analyze carefully the pictures below. Guess the word being
described from the pictures. Clues are given using the jumbled letters
provided. Write your answer in the notebook.

RNLOACHEYA

Answer:

Source:
1. https://amayei.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/2020/06/poultry.jpg
2.https://www.google.com/search?q=cakes&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CV1E0nJ_1b1xuYSVnoNpeHfxo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0
CCQQuIIBahcKEwjo7-qGl5LtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQDA&biw=1007&bih=415#imgrc=zGPpCJLIgUI34M
3. https://www.learner.org/series/interactive-rock-cycle/
4. https://newsela.com/read/lib-dating-fossils/id/53741/

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II. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Kindly take a closer look at the picture below. What you see is the layer
formation of rocks, particularly sedimentary rocks.

At a glance, the rocks

from the picture
are stratified. In other words,
they contain layers.
Stratified rock is made of
visible layers of sediment.
This layering is caused by
different factors which we
will explore throughout this
module.
By definition,
stratification is the layering Source: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/layered-rock-formation-
folds-on-thailand-550825489
that occurs in most
sedimentary rocks and in Figure 1: Rock Layer Formation
those igneous rocks formed
at the Earth’s surface, as from lava flows and volcanic fragmental deposits. This
layered structure is formed by the deposition of sedimentary rocks.

The thickness of the layers varies in millimetres as well as in shape. The

layers may also extend few meters laterally or may cover in many square
kilometres. (Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/stratification-geology)

As the sedimentary rocks formed

are laid down in layers over the course
of time, these sediment layers create
the banding pattern visible in stratified
rock. It also tells us that the sediments
will show about the environment in
which the rock was formed. Source:https://www.britannica.com/science/stratification
-geology

For example, if we have a

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/shale-rock-4165848
Figure 3: An Example of Shale
layer of shale overlain by a layer of
limestone, then we know the
environment was once mud-covered
before flooding and growing into a
shallow sea. This is because shale forms

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from old mud flats and limestone forms in shallow seas.

There are agents which cause the different groups of sediments to be

deposited, like wind, water, ice, and/or gravity at different intervals of time and
compacted on top of each other, until they create a sedimentary rock that
has several different types of sediments (possibly from different rock types) in
the form of layers.

With the passage of time and the accumulation of more particles, and
often with chemical changes, the sediments at the bottom of the pile become
rock.

The pictures below show examples of sediment accumulation where

gravel becomes a rock called conglomerate, sand becomes sandstone, mud
becomes mudstone or shale, and the animal skeletons and plant pieces can
become fossils.

Conglomerate Rock Sandstone Mudstone

Source: Source:
Source:
http://geologylearn.blogspot.com/2015/03/san https://www.geologysuperstore.com/ind
https://www.sandatlas.org/conglomerate/ dstone.html ex.php/mudstone.html

Figure 4: Rock Samples Formed by Sedimentation

Danish scientist Nicholas Steno studied the relative positions of

sedimentary rocks and he found that solid particles settle from a fluid
according to their relative weight or size. The largest, or heaviest, settle first,
and the smallest, or lightest, settle last. Slight changes in particle size or
composition result in the formation of layers, also called beds, in the rock.
Layering, or bedding, is the most obvious feature of sedimentary rocks
(https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/fossils/rocks-layers.html).

It has been observed that sedimentary rocks are formed particle by

particle and bed by bed, and the layers are piled one on top of the other.
Thus, in any sequence of layered rocks, a given bed must be older than any
bed on top of it.

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 The Law of Superposition stated that
in a sequence of sedimentary rock layers,
each layer of rock is older than the layer
above it and younger than the rock layer
below it.

Try to imagine piling a stack of books,

one book laid on the table and another
book is put on top of the first book, then Source:https://www.google.com/search?q=law%20of%20original
%20horizontality%20examples&tbm=isch&hl=en&ved=0CJkBEK
another. There must be an existing book to zcAigBahcKEwiYu6qtkKLqAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg&biw=1349

begin with the stacking of books. Meaning,

&bih=564

a layer of rocks must exist first before another Figure 5: Law of Superposition
layer is laid next to it. The once at the
bottom layer is older than the layer on top.

Layered rocks form when particles

settle from water or air. With that
observation, Steno proposed the Law of
Original Horizontality which states that most
sediments, when originally formed, were
laid down horizontally. Because of the Law
of Original Horizontality, we know that
sedimentary rocks that are not horizontal Source:https://www.google.com/search?q=law%20of%20original

either were formed in special ways or, more

%20horizontality%20examples&tbm=isch&hl=en&ved=0CJkBEK
zcAigBahcKEwiYu6qtkKLqAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg&biw=1349
often, were moved from their horizontal &bih=564

position by later events, such as tilting during Figure 6: Law of Original

episodes of mountain building. Thus, many Horizontality
layered rocks are no longer horizontal.

Instead of the assumed horizontal layer formation of the rocks, rocks are
moved from their horizontal position which leads us to another idea of the Law
of Lateral Continuity. The Law of Lateral Continuity suggests that all rock layers
are laterally continuous and may be broken up or displaced by later events.

This can happen when a river or stream erodes a portion of the rock
layers. This can also happen when faulting occurs. Faulting causes
displacement in rock units.

Source: https://www.kisscc0.com/clipart/principle-of- Source: https://i1.wp.com/timescavengers.blog/wp-

lateral-continuity-rock-geology-strat-pzmszs/ content/uploads/2017/02/bedding-
relationshipsletters.png?ssl=1

Figure 7: Law of Lateral Continuity

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 Another illustration here (Fig. 7, right) shows the offset between the layers
signified by the black line cutting across the rocks. Trace the colors or letters
across to find the layers that match. The rock layers on the top seem to form a
valley but we can tell that Unit I (dark blue) on one side is the same as the Unit
I (dark blue) on the other side. There is missing rock in between and a
displacement caused by deformation.

Inclusions are pieces of an

older rock that are contained inside
of a younger rock. A rock layer that
contains inclusions must be younger
than the rock from which the pieces
came. Rock B is older than Rock D.
A piece of the older rock is included
inside of the younger rock.
https://igws.indiana.edu/outreach/WhichCameFirst.pdf

Figure 8: Inclusions

An unconformity is a surface of erosion or non-deposition that separates

rock layers of considerably different ages. There are three different types of
unconformities.

1. An angular unconformity occurs when horizontal sedimentary rock is

deposited on top of tilted and eroded rock layers. The lower older layers are
inclined by folding or faulting, then eroded, and younger sediments are later
deposited on top of the erosional surface.

Siccar Point in Scotland is an angular

unconformity where older vertical
sedimentary rocks are overlain by
younger slightly inclined sedimentary
rocks. Photo by Stuart Sutherland,
Wikimedia Commons.

2. A disconformity occurs when

horizontal sedimentary rock is
Source: https://igws.indiana.edu/outreach/WhichCameFirst.pdf deposited on top of an older eroded
Figure 9: Unconformity
sedimentary rock. The parallel strata
are separated by an erosional surface.

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 The massive cliffs at Shades State
Park are a disconformity where
Mississippian-age siltstone is overlain by
significantly younger Pennsylvanian-age
sandstone.
Source: https://igws.indiana.edu/outreach/WhichCameFirst.pdf

Figure 10: Disconformity

3.A nonconformity occurs when horizontal sedimentary rock is deposited on

top of older eroded igneous or metamorphic rock. The rock types are
separated by an erosional
surface.

The Grand Canyon is a

nonconformity where
Precambrian age metamorphic
rocks are overlain by horizontal
Cambrian-age sedimentary
rocks. Photo by James St. John,
Wikimedia Commons.
Source: https://igws.indiana.edu/outreach/WhichCameFirst.pdf

Figure 10: Nonconformity

https://igws.indiana.edu/outreach/WhichCam
eFirst.pdf
Figure 14

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