Weathering Lab Essay

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In this lab, we explored the process of weathering. Weathering is the breaking down of rocks and minerals by natural processes. We artificially weathered a jar of marble chips, and measured their mass to observe how much they had broken down. My hypothesis at the beginning of the activity was that the chips were going to rub against each other and get smaller. The materials we used were the marble chips, a pan balance scale, water, and a peanut butter jar. Procedures: First, my group put 100 grams of marble chips into the peanut butter jar. We measured it by putting it on the scale. It took us about 6 times to get the correct mass of marble chips into the jar. Next, we took it to the sink and put enough water just so it was a little bit over the rocks. Next, we took turns shaking the jar of chips. Each time, it had to be shaken for 3 minutes. After each 3 minutes, we poured the rocks, without the water, into a cup and put it on the scale. We stopped when the rocks had been shaken for 12 minutes total. Data: Weathering Time (min) | Mass of Rock Remaining (g) | 0 | 100 g | 3 | 97 g | 6 | 96 g | 9 | 95 g | 12 | 93 g | Type of Rock | Mass of Rock Remaining (g) | Marble | 97.1 g | Rock Salt | 59 g | Hard Rock | 97.89 g | Conclusion Questions 1. The mass of the remaining marble chips decreased over time. 2. a) The greatest loss of mass from the marble chips happened in 12 minutes. b) I can account for this result because we put the rocks on a balance scale and measured the mass. The mass decreased by 2 grams. 3. If I had continued to shake the rock chips for an hour, I think they would have become very small and decrease in mass even more. 4. We did not shake rock salt. 5. We did not shake hard rock. 6. We did not do Part B. 7. I inferred that as the rock chips get weathered even

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