Lab overview.

1. Lab: Analyzing Marine
Sediments
Oceanography

2. Typos…
 Materials – 3 beakers, NO spoons.
 #4 & #5 should say, “Put approximately 250 mL of
sample…

3. What are you doing?
 You will determine the environment of 2 samples of
marine sediment? Is on neritic? Pelagic?
 You will separate the grain sizes using sieves.
 You will determine Wentworth size of sediment in each
sieve.
 You will determine the percentage of each sieve/grain
size.

4. Review…
 Neritic sediment may have these characteristics:
-Coarse, may contain shell fragments, from environments
where water is moving rapidly, near the coastline.
 Pelagic sediment may have these characteristics:
-Fine, also may contain shell fragments, but not many,
from environments where water is moving slowly, usually
from deep-sea areas.

5. What do you need?

6. Overview
 Get approximately 250 mL of the 2 sediment samples..
 Measure mass of each sample. Remember to subtract the
mass of the beaker!
 Put sample 1 in sieve and shake for 5 minutes.
 Determine the % of sediment in each sieve.
 Using the Wentworth chart, identify each sediment in each
sieve (Boulder, pebble, gravel, sand, silt, or clay?).
 Repeat for sample 2.
 Answer conclusion questions and return materials where you
found them!