1. Lab #4: WEATHERING AND SOIL LAB
10/3-10/5

2. CHECK OUT THE VID

3. PURPOSE
TO EXPLORE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WEATHERING THAT OCCUR NATURALLY ON EARTH AND HOW THESE PROCESSES CREATE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOILS. TO ALSO BE ABLE TO MAKE REAL OBSERVATIONS OF THESE PROCESSES OCCURING HERE AT OUR SCHOOL.

4. PROCEDURES DAY 1 WATCH DEMO OF LAB CREATE LAB NOTEBOOKS
CREATE 2 VINEGAR SOLUTIONS: IN EACH BEAKER MIX APPROXIMATLEY 50ML OF WATER WITH APPROXIMATELY 150ML OF VINEGAR AND STIR INTO THE BEAKER.
ADD PIECE OF IRON WOOL (BLUEISH GRAY) IN ONE FLASK AND COPPER WOOL IN THE OTHER. LABEL IT WITH GROUP NAMES AND PERIOD WITH MARKER AND SET IT OFF TO THE SIDE.

5. PROCEDURES DAY 2 PART 1 OBTAIN A WATER BOTTLE AND CUT IT IN HALF
OBTAIN A WATER BALLOON AND FILL IT WITH WATER AND TIE IT OFF (SEE DEMO BALLOON TO SEE HOW BIG TO MAKE IT).
FILL HALF THE BOTTLE WITH PLASTER OF PARIS AND COMPLETELY COVER THE WATER BALLOON WITH THE PLASTER.
LABEL THIS WITH GROUP NAMES AND PERIOD AND PLACE THIS OFF TO THE SIDE TO BE PUT IN THE FREEZER.
PART 2
OBTAIN AN ERLYNMYER FLASK AND ADD 5 SUGAR CUBES TO IT.
SHAKE THE FLASK VIGOUROSLY FOR 10 SECONDS. POUR OUT THE SUGAR ONTO THE DESK AND TRY TO BLOW ALL OF THE SUGAR DUST INTO THE PLASTIC CONTAINER.
WORK ON OBSERVATIONS
EXPLORE CAMPUS; FIND AND FILL OUT THE WEATHERED ROCKS LISTED IN YOUR LAB NOTEBOOKS.

6. PROCEDURES DAY 3 PART 1: OBTAIN YOUR GROUP’S WATER BOTTLES
2. CUT THE WATER BOTTLE AWAY FROM THE PLASTER
3. CUT THE PLASTER IN HALF WITH PLASTIC KNIFE AND REMOVE THE WATER BALLOONS.
PART 2:
OBTAIN YOUR GROUP’S LABELED BEAKERS WITH THE IRON AND COPPER WOOL.
USING TONGS EXAMINE WHAT REMAINS IN THE VINEGAR SOLUTION
COMPLETE OBSERVATIONS AND CONLCUSION QUESTIONS
IF TIME CONTINUE EXPLORING CAMPUS

7. OBSERVATIONS (CREATE DATE TABLE WITH RULER)
LAB
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
OBSERVATIONS
PLASTER WITH WATER BALLOONS
-What happened to the plaster?
-What happened to the balloon filled with water?
-Make sure to note how the plaster and the water changed.
SUGAR IN
ERLYNMEYER FLASK
-What did the sugar look like before you shook it?
After?
-What happened to the sugar when you shook it?
-What moved when you blew on them?
VINEGAR WITH COPPER AND IRON WOOL
-Note what the iron and copper wool looked like
-What did they look like after being soaked for two days?
-Make sure to describe the changes in detail.

8. DISCUSSION LAB QUESTIONS DISCUSSION PLASTER WITH WATER BALLOONS
What type of weathering was this?
Chemical or physical?
What forced the plaster to change?
Does this occur in nature? How?
SUGAR IN
ERLYNMEYER FLASK
What type of general weathering was this?
What types forces causes this to happen in nature?
Blowing on the sugar represented what phenomenon?
VINEGAR WITH COPPER AND IRON WOOL
Describe what process you know of that could make this happen in nature.

9. POST LAB QUESTIONS
The freezing had an obvious effect on the water, but do you think the freezing of the plaster (rock material) made it easier or harder to be weathered? Does the change from hot to cold cause weathering, if so what kind?
Do you think blowing the smaller fine grains of sugar could could cause additional weathering when they hit the larger pieces? What type of specific weathering is this called?
Acetic acid in vinegar caused the weathering of the iron and copper. What is the acid in nature we learned can do this to rocks? What is it’s formula of formation?

10. EXPLORE THE CAMPUS
As a class we will be walking around the campus looking for different types of weathering. We will explore the campus as sections and the class needs to stay together in each section we go to. Anyone that leaves the section or that is off task will earn a 0 for this lab.

11. Explore the Campus (Use a whole page to create this data table)
Type of medium weathered on campus (does not have to be rock)
Describe it’s appearance list how you know it is weathered:
What type of weathering is this? Is it chemical or physical weathering? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10.