Option A—Surface and Sedimentary Processes. Do ALL of the following:
Surface and Sedimentary Processes
This option follows moving water from jar-sized experiments all the way to real stream channels. You will test how sediment settles, measure gradients, identify stream features, notice very fine suspended material, and then apply all of that to an outdoor observation.
What You’ll Complete
Req 4a1 — Sediment Settling: Run a simple approved experiment to see how suspended sediment settles by size and weight. You will gain a visual understanding of sorting and deposition.
Req 4a2 — Stream Gradients: Use topographic maps to calculate gradient for four stream types. You will gain practice connecting slope to speed and sediment transport.
Req 4a3 — Reading Stream Features: Label cut banks, point bars, deltas, and bars on a stream diagram. You will gain vocabulary for how channels move and sort sediment.
Req 4a4 — Tiny Sediment, Big Clues: Show that some water-carried sediment is too small to see without magnification. You will gain a better idea of how muddy water can still hide even finer particles.
Req 4a5 — Clues in a Dry Streambed: Visit a stream and read the evidence of flow direction from the land itself. You will gain field-observation skills that pull the whole option together.
How to Work Through This Option
Start with the small-scale experiments first. They make the outdoor observations easier to understand later. As you go, keep a notebook with sketches, simple calculations, and short explanations of what each activity showed. That record will help when you discuss the option with your counselor.
Streams are some of the best geology teachers because they are always moving sediment and reshaping the land in visible ways.