======Sediment Sorting======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Layering of Sediments
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====Summary====                   
{{$demo.summary}}



====Procedure====
  - Provide each group with a lidded plastic jar, stopwatch, arrow stickers, and samples of clay, sand, silt, gravel, and plant material.  
  - Have students pour all sediments into the jar until it is about half full.  
  - Add water until the jar is about three-quarters full, leaving some air for mixing.  
  - Secure the lid tightly.  
  - Students take turns shaking the jar for at least 2 minutes.  
  - Use arrow stickers to mark visible sediment layers on the jar.  
  - Note observations about sediment size and order of settling.




====Links==== 
Make your own Sediment Jar! - Rock Talk: 
{{youtube>iq5acflWgrY?}}\\

Vertical Sorting / Graded Bedding Demonstration - GazdonianProductions: 
{{youtube>k65hPHfiK1w?}}\\

📄 Sediment Sorting - National Park Service: [[https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/sediment-sorting.htm]]\\


====Variations====
  * Use only two or three sediment types to simplify the experiment.  
  * Compare results between fast shaking and gentle swirling.  
  * Try different water temperatures to see if settling rate changes.
  * Use a long tube instead of a jar.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Ensure jar lids are tightly secured to prevent spills.  
  * Use plastic jars instead of glass to avoid breakage.  
  * Supervise closely to prevent students from shaking too aggressively.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Which sediments settled first, and why? (Heavier, larger grains like gravel settled first due to gravity and size.)  
  * Why do finer sediments like clay take longer to settle? (They are lighter and remain suspended in water longer.)  
  * How does this experiment model real-world sediment deposition? (It mimics how sediments settle in lakes, rivers, and oceans to form layers of sedimentary rock.)  
  * What does the quality of sorting tell us about the energy of the environment? (Well-sorted sediments form in low-energy environments like still water; poorly sorted sediments form in high-energy environments like floods or volcanic flows.)