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Schoolyard Geology

Schoolyard Geology Home Lesson 1 | 2 | 3 Download
3 Schoolyard Geology Examples << Layers on top of Layers Sinkholes >>
Schoolyard
Geologist in ACTION
Sewer Crosscut
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Image From: Matthew d'Alessio, USGS
http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard

Location: U. S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park
About: The stripe of light-colored pavement in this picture hasn't always been there. Originally, the pavement was all one color, but then there was a problem with the sewer line. To replace an old sewer line, workers dug a trench that cut across the old pavement, and then filled it back in with a lighter colored asphalt. The lighter stripe is younger than the darker material around it. When in the sequence do you think they painted the words "STOP" on the ground? How can you tell?
Black Layer cuts across Grand Canyon Layers
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Copyright Ramón Arrowsmith, Arizona State University
http://activetectonics.la.asu.edu/ramon/Images/Grand_Canyon/

Location: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
About: Blocks of rock that look like stripes cutting across existing layers are also common in nature. Here, the reddish-brown layers accumulated over time. After they were laid down, hot magma pushed its way through the layers towards the surface. The dark "stripe" is where some of that magma solidified before reaching the surface. The fact that the dark layer seems to cut so cleanly through the layers is evidence that it came along after they were deposite (It is not possible to cut layers before they exist!)


Key Concepts:
  • Newer rocks are deposited on top of older rocks. The newer rocks cover up the older rocks.
  • For sedimentary or volcanic rocks, the oldest layers are therefore on the bottom and the youngest layers are on the top. We call this "The Principle of Superposition" (super = top).
  • When one type of rock cuts through other rocks, it had to form after the rocks that it cuts. (You can't cut a cake until you have baked a cake).
Classroom Activities: GeoSleuth Murder Mystery
Science Standards: California
Gr4, Sc4a. Students know how to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring to their properties and methods of formation (rock cycle).

Gr7, Sc4a. Students know Earth processes today are similar to those that occurred in the past and slow geologic processes have large cumulative effects over long periods of time.

Gr7, Sc4c. Students know that the rock cycle includes the formation of new sediment and rocks and that rocks are often found in layers, with the oldest generally on the bottom.

 

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