Sediment transportation and sorting in different environments

Sediment transportation and sorting in different environments 

Jodie Nichol-Gray 

Sediment sorting is a key way for students to be able to identify the possible environment in which sediment was originally deposited. This is a key aspect of sedimentary geology and as such, an important factor for students to understand. The process of sediment deposition allows for our students to have an understanding of past climates, which in turn can lead to the understanding of how rocks are formed and the minerals and opportunities which may lie within these rocks for future global needs. 

This poster creates a simple way for students to gain an understanding of how transportation impacts sediment and therefore dictates the rocks which are subsequently formed. The experiment can be altered to create a variety of environments (aeolian, fluvial, playa lakes and wadis etc). Students can experiment with different techniques to view what happens to sediment under different circumstances. This can then be followed up with a simple sieve experiment where students can analyse the sediment they have accumulated to determine the sorting that has occurred, providing opportunity for students to practice their maths skills and cumulative logs.