A. Background

Concepts:

• Rock formations [distinct units of rock tht formed in a particular area], most of which is beneath the ground, and thus difficult to examine totally.
• Core sampling [one technique that geologists use to study hidden rock formations.] This consists of drilling into a rock formation and pulling out a specimen of all of the rocks that have formed there...
• Relative ages of rock layers, and the chronology of disruptive geologic events.

B. Procedure:                                           ^TOP?

• Materials:

[ 1 slice white bread, 1 whole wheat bread, 1 dark rye bread
  jelly,  chuncky peanut butter mixed with raisins, 2 paper plates, plastic knife, measuringf spoon, clear plastic straws. ]

• Directions: 

[ Each ingredient represents a layer of rock..e.g. sandstone=white bread; conglomerate= chunky peanut butter; etc..]

- Alternately layer: white bread, peanut butter with raisins, whole wheat bread, jelly, and rye bread in a 3 tier stacked sandwich.

-QUESTIONS: Which layer represents the oldest rock layer? Where is it located? Explain your answer. [ Hint: What does it mean to be the oldest?]
 

• ANTICLINE FORMATION:                                                   ^TOP?

- While "sandwich-mountain" lies flat on the paper plate, gently apply pressure to the right and left sides of the sandwich, so that the mountain buldges upward in the middle. This represents an anticline formation.

- While the "anticline" position is held by one student, ask another student to gently "drill" 4 clear plastic straws into various positions equally far apart but representing 4 different  heights of the formation.   Carefully lay out the straws containing core samples, so that they maintain orientation from their sources. While lying flat, gently tape the four core samples together, so they can be analyzed for information about formations BELOW THE SURFACE !!
 

• SYNCLINE FORMATION:

 

 
 
 

- While "sandwich-mountain" lies flat on the paper plate, gently apply pressure to the right and left sides of the sandwich, so that the mountain SINKS DOWNWARD in the middle. This represents a syncline formation.

- While the "syncline" position is held by one student, ask another student to gently "drill" 4 clear plastic straws into various positions equally far apart but representing 4 different  heights of the formation.   Carefully lay out the straws containing core samples, so that they maintain orientation from their sources. While lying flat, gently tape the four core samples together, so they can be analyzed for information about formations BELOW THE SURFACE !!                                               ^TOP?

C. Results and Conclusions

• Which is the oldest rock layer?
• Describe the order of events which produced the samples seen in the cores you took in the directions. Which layer was formed first, second, and so on, and when did significant deformative events occur?
• For the set of core samples , create a cross-section disgram of what the rock formation from which they were extracted might look like. Describe a possible chronology of events leading to thsi particular rock formation.