Sediment off of the Yucatan Peninsula
Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation
Before you begin the scientific investigation below, make sure to download the Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report. As you complete this scientific investigation, fill in any needed information on the report template. If you need more information about each section of the report, please visit the Developmental Module.
This scientific investigation is available below or in a printable version.
Introduction
There are a number of forces and factors that determine what types of sediments make up the continental shelf in different areas of the world. Large grained terrigenous sediment usually settles near the coast and smaller grained sediments do so further into the ocean.
Objectives
In this scientific investigation, you will:
Hypothesis
Using the Procedure and Data Collection section below, read through the procedural information for this scientific investigation. Based on your understanding of the procedure, develop your own hypotheses which describe what you think you will see when you drop a sediment sample containing several different sized items into water. Hypothesize about which items you think would fall faster or slower and why. Record these hypotheses in the Hypothesis section of your Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report.
Equipment and Materials
Procedure and Data Collection
Data
Use the spaces provided in the Data section of your Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report to record your data from this scientific investigation.
Data Analysis
In the Data Analysis section of your Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report, provide responses to the following questions:
Conclusion
Using the Conclusion section of your Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report, compose three to four sentences describing an overall conclusion based on your data. Were your hypotheses true or false, and how do you know? Use the data and notes that you collected from your investigation to form your conclusion. Make sure that you include information that you gained from data analysis to support your conclusion.
Experimental Sources of Error
On your Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report, provide responses to the following questions: Are there any sources of error? If so, what are they, and what could be done to minimize error?
Once you have completed the Sedimentation of the Shelf Scientific Investigation Report, please submit your work to the dropbox.