Geology PAG 4: Investigating sedimentary processes

Suggested Activity 3: Sedimentary structuresInstructions for teachers and techniciansThis practical activity is composed of two parts; a teacher/technician section and the student activity which can be found on page 6. This practical activity supports OCR AS/A Level Geology.

When distributing the activity section to the students either as a printed copy or as a Word file you will need to remove the teacher instructions section.

This is a suggested practical activity that can be used as part of teaching the OCR AS and A Level Geology specifications helping to fulfil the requirements of the Practical Endorsement.

These are not required activities, nor are they coursework tasks.

You may modify these activities to suit your students and centre. Alternative activities are available from, for example, ESTA, Earth Learning Idea, CLEAPSS and publishing companies.

Support for mapping activities to the requirements of the Practical Endorsement is available from OCR – see www.ocr.org.uk/positiveaboutpractical or email us at PASS@ocr.org.uk.

Students can collaborate during the activities but each student must individually demonstrate competence in each of the practical skills being assessed (see Practical Skills below).

It is possible for a student to achieve some but not all of the practical skills involved in an activity (and this can be recorded as individual skills in the OCR PAG Tracker).

Further details are available in the specifications (Practical Skills Topics).

OCR recommendations:

Before carrying out any fieldwork based on this guidance, it is the responsibility of teachers to ensure that they have undertaken a risk assessment in accordance with their employer’s requirements, making use of up-to-date information and taking account of their own particular circumstances. Any local rules or restrictions issued by the employer must always be followed.

CLEAPSS resources are useful for carrying out risk-assessments: (http://science.cleapss.org.uk).

Centres should trial fieldwork activities in advance of giving them to students. Centres may choose to make adaptations to this practical activity, but should be aware that this may affect the Apparatus and Techniques covered by the student.

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 1 © OCR 2017

IntroductionStudents will use fieldwork skills to locate and produce qualitative and quantitative measurements of sedimentary features/structures. A suitable field site will be relatively small (allowing students to work independently under remote supervision) and contain more than one type of sedimentary feature such as ripples, crossbedding, tree fossils and trackways; One set of structures should be capable of generating linear data and the other set of structures directional data. A common misconception is that students will get their eye in quickly so it is important that the challenge of the activity is appropriate but not overly ambitious.

Aims to locate the fieldwork site using traditional navigation techniques to identify and record sedimentary structures using field sketches to use a compass clinometer to measure trend/orientation of sedimentary structures. to use rule/tape/callipers measure linear dimensions (e.g. size, thickness, nearest

neighbour) of sedimentary structures

Intended fieldwork time 1 to 2 hour

Practical Skills – competence assessed by the teacher1.2.1 (a) apply investigative approaches and methods to practical work1.2.1 (b) safely and correctly use a range of practical equipment and materials1.2.1 (d) make and record observations/measurements 1.2.1 (f) present information and data in a scientific way1.2.2 (a) location of geological features in the field using traditional navigation and basic field survey skills without the use of GPS1.2.2 (b) identification of geological structures in the field recording observations as field sketches1.2.2 (c) use of a compass clinometer to measure two- and three-dimensional geological data across a range of scales such as the dip and strike of planar surfaces, or the apparent dip of fold limbs exposed on a hillside or cliff section1.2.2 (e) use of sampling techniques in fieldwork1.2.2 (j) use of appropriate apparatus to record a range of quantitative measurements (to include mass, time, volume, temperature and length)

CPAC – competence assessed by the teacher(1) follows written procedures(2) applies investigative approaches and methods when using instruments and equipment(3) safely uses a range of practical equipment and materials(4) makes and records observations.

Links to Specifications1.3.1 (b) the collection of valid data in the field relating to the igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary processes that formed the rocks2.1.3 (c) the diagnostic properties of rocks to recognise and measure grain sizes in samples, photographs and thin section diagrams

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 2 © OCR 2017

2.1.3 (d)(i) the classification of siliciclastic rocks on the basis of their diagnostic properties (colour, composition, grain size and grain shape, sorting)2.1.3 (d)(ii) the classification of carbonate rocks on the basis of their diagnostic properties (grain size, cement, mineral composition and fossil content, and sorting)2.1.3 (d)(iii) the diagnostic properties of rocks to identify siliciclastic and carbonate rocks in samples, photographs and thin section diagrams2.2.1 (c)(i) the use and interpretation of fossils as palaeoenvironmental indicators: trace fossils to provide information on the behaviour of the organism that formed them and the palaeoenvironment3.3.1 (a)(iv) use of a compass-clinometer4.1.2 (a)(ii) the diagnostic sedimentary structures produced by the sediment transport processes4.1.2 (a)(iii) the recognition, application and sketching of the diagnostic properties of sedimentary structures to interpret way-up and sedimentary environments, in the field and on photographs5.1.1 (b) turbidity currents and how the Bouma turbidite model of deposition demonstrates the application of sedimentary principles

Mathematical Skills – learning opportunity within activity Mathematical skills must be applied in the recording of the data and calculations, and in

analysing the data. These steps require the appropriate application of the following mathematical skills:o M1.1 Recognise and make use of appropriate units in calculations.o M1.3 Use an appropriate number of significant figures.o M1.6 Estimate results.o M2.2 Construct and interpret frequency tables and diagrams, bar charts and

histograms data.o M2.5 Understand the principles of sampling as applied to scientific data.o M2.6 Understand the terms mean, median and mode.o M2.9 Plot two variables from experimental or other linear data.o M2.11 Plot two variables from experimental or other circular data.

ChemicalsNot applicable for this activity.

EquipmentEach student will require: compass clinometer and chalk, students may use a compass and a separate clinometer

but must have the use of a compass clinometer for some measurements OS 1:25,000 Explorer or equivalent map extract 5 metre measuring tape or metre rule or callipers as appropriate hand lens field notebook or equivalent

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 3 © OCR 2017

Health and Safety Health and safety should always be considered by a centre before undertaking any

practical work. A full risk assessment of any activity should be undertaken including checking the CLEAPSS website (http://www.cleapss.org.uk).

The Geological Society has some useful resources for planning fieldwork including the Code for Geological Fieldwork. In Scotland geological fieldwork is covered by The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Scottish fossil code.

The use of hammers is not a requirement of the Practical Endorsement and is not encouraged; most popular geological sites have some level of geoconservation status and use of hammers may only be used with a permit.

NotesCentres are advised to trial this activity before using it with students. In particular: a previsit should be made to any site prior to using it with students the instructions will need to be modified and adapted for your field site, students are expected to use basic navigation skills to locate themselves and from the last

trailhead they should not be shown their position on the map. Basic navigation skills include setting a map to the ground, using handrail features and pacing; they do not include back bearings and resection. The field site should be locatable by students using basic navigation skills.

tide and weather forecasts should be part of your planning. Plans may need to be modified based on the day because of river level, wave conditions, extreme weather or other unforeseen events.

even for simple sites students will need time to get their eye in, examples of suitable sites include but are not limited to River Greta/Glenridding, Cumbria

imbrications and clast sizes on river gravel bars; Baston Pit, Lincs (imbrications and bed thickness vs clast size); Stackpole Quay, Pembrokeshire (brachiopod trends, coral nearest neighbour), Seaford Head, Sussex (solution pipe trends, bed thickness vs bioturbation/flints); or Laggan, Isle of Arran (brachiopod trends, cross-bedding),

this is intended as an activity suitable for students who have completed 2.2.1(c) and 4.1.2(a), more complex features are more suitable activities for PAG11.

Answers and Guidance to Extension Activities1. Students should be allowed an appropriate tolerance in locating the field site but the grid

reference and location sketch together should allow the field site to be relocated easily. If the field site is away from any handrail feature or obvious landmark more tolerance may have to be allowed.

2. What is important is that the sedimentary features are recognisable. Basic checks for completeness are important and help to avoid missing information (using SNOT/TONS for example): scale, notation, orientation and scale.

3. Measurements can be interpolated to the closest 1° but 2° is acceptable. Weaker students may only record to 10°. As a rule of thumb if you plan to group/bin data then there should be two to three times as many measurements as the total number of groups (for ordinal and inter-cardinal points this would be 8×3 = 24 for trend or 16×2= 32 for orientation data).

4. See comments for 2 above.5. Optimal sample size will depend on the variability in the population.6. When taking multiple photographs it is very easy to forget where, why and when a

photograph was taken. Photographs should supplement but do not replace field sketches.

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 4 © OCR 2017

7. The main misconception is that trend data needs to be plotted twice (i.e. 090° and 270°). Once students understand that a raw data plot is like a dispersion plot this task is straight forward. For rose diagrams the limits of groups can introduce errors (e.g. if 000° is on the cusp between bins) or if the groups are too small (over-sampling causes noise), too large (under-sampling obscures trends) or there may not be enough data.

8. An individual student’s data will only approximate to a normal distribution, and any extreme values may obscure the pattern; compiling data should improve the comparison. Optimum sample size is where the point to point line flattens out (choosing an appropriate scale will help) but there will always be some noise. Most commonly systematic sampling.

RecordsAs evidence for the Practical Endorsement, students: should not need to re-draft their work, but rather keep all of their notes as a continuing

record of their practical work, dating their work clearly, should record any measurements taken to the number of significant figures (resolution)

appropriate. This should be recorded clearly in a table format with appropriate units, should produce correctly annotated drawings of their specimens – this means the

drawings need to be drawn with a sharp pencil with no sketching, be labelled with a ruled line, include a scale bar and be correctly titled.

Extension questions help students develop their understanding of the underlying geological theory and are a preparation for the written examinations. They also help students to develop the practical science skills assessed indirectly in the written examinations and they should be encouraged to record their data appropriately, for example showing full workings in calculations, and stating final answers to the appropriate number of significant figures.

Document updatesv1.0 August 2017 Original version.

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 5 © OCR 2017

OCR Resources: the small printThis formative assessment resource has been produced as part of our free A Level teaching and learning support package. All the A Level teaching and learning resources, including delivery guides, topic exploration packs, lesson elements and more are available on the qualification webpages.

If you are looking for examination practice materials, you can find Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) on the qualification webpages: here

OCR’s resources are provided to support the teaching of OCR qualifications, but in no way constitute an endorsed teaching method that is required by the Board, and the decision to use them lies with the individual teacher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content, OCR cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions within these resources.

© OCR 2017 - This resource may be freely copied and distributed, as long as the OCR logo and this message remain

We’d like to know your view on the resources we produce. By clicking on ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ you can help us to ensure that our resources work for you. When the email template pops up please add additional comments if you wish and then just click ‘Send’. Thank you.

If you do not currently offer this OCR qualification but would like to do so, please complete the Expression of Interest Form which can be found here: www.ocr.org.uk/expression-of-interest

www.ocr.org.uk/i-want-to/find-resources/

Geology PAG 4: Investigating geological sequences

Suggested Activity 3: Sedimentary structures

Student activityIntroductionIn this practical activity you will be using your fieldwork skills to locate and produce qualitative and quantitative measurements of two different sedimentary structures. You will be working independently under remote supervision and the field site will be relatively small. You should take time to get your eye in and to see the geological features.

You will be collecting data on the [trend/orientation] of structure A and the [appropriate linear dimension] of structure B. You will be producing data tables and field sketches of what you see. You will be expected to use standard scientific practice including adding annotations and a scale bar to your drawing(s).

Aims to locate your fieldwork site using traditional navigation techniquesto identify and record sedimentary structures using field sketchesto use a compass clinometer to measure [suitable linear dimensions] of sedimentary structuresto use [suitable measuring instrument] to measure [the trend or the orientation] of sedimentary structures

Intended fieldwork time1 to 2 hours

Equipmentcompass clinometerchalkOS map extract5 metre measuring tape [or metre rule or callipers as appropriate]hand lensfield notebook

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 6 © OCR 2017

OCR Resources: the small printThis formative assessment resource has been produced as part of our free A Level teaching and learning support package. All the A Level teaching and learning resources, including delivery guides, topic exploration packs, lesson elements and more are available on the qualification webpages.

If you are looking for examination practice materials, you can find Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) on the qualification webpages: here

OCR’s resources are provided to support the teaching of OCR qualifications, but in no way constitute an endorsed teaching method that is required by the Board, and the decision to use them lies with the individual teacher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content, OCR cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions within these resources.

© OCR 2017 - This resource may be freely copied and distributed, as long as the OCR logo and this message remain

Health and Safety Fieldwork should be carried out within the guidance of The Geological Society’s Code for

Geological Fieldwork and the Scottish Fossil Code in Scotland. The safety of yourself and others comes first in all geological fieldwork. Take heed of all safety

instructions given to you and do nothing which might put the safety of yourself or others at risk while in the field.

ProcedureBefore starting your practical work, read the information below.

1. Locate the field site by following your route in from the trailhead on the map extract and determine the six figure grid reference of the site. Sketch a location map which would allow another geologist to relocate your field site from the trailhead.

2. Draw a field sketch showing the typical features of sedimentary structure A at the field site.3. Using your compass collect appropriate number of direction readings that will allow you to fully

describe the [trend or orientation] of the sedimentary structures.4. Draw a field sketch showing the typical features of sedimentary structure B at the field site.5. Using an appropriate sampling strategy and your [measuring tape or metre rule or callipers]

the optimum number of measurements that will allow you to fully describe the [linear dimension] of the sedimentary structures.

6. For any photographs you have taken note the subject of the photograph in your field notebook.

Extension opportunities7. (a) Plot your direction data for [structure A] onto a raw data plot. Calculate the median and

interquartile range and describe the pattern that you observe.(b) Working in a group of four, compile your direction data and the between you plot the

direction data as: circular bar graph, and as rose diagrams with bin/group sizes of 10°, 22.5° and 45°.

(c) Compare the usefulness of raw data plot, circular bar graph and rose diagram to accurately describe the direction pattern measured and to communicate the general trend of directions.

(d) Comparing the three different rose diagrams drawn explain how to select the optimum rose diagram for any data set, and the potential errors that choosing the wrong rose diagram could introduce.

8. (a) Calculate the mean and standard deviation for your linear data [for structure B] and plot the data as a histogram. Describe the pattern that you observe. (b) Calculate the running mean for the data you collected and plot it as a line graph. Annotate

your line graph to show the optimum sample size.(c) Describe the sampling method you used to collect the linear data; explain why you

selected this sampling method?

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 7 © OCR 2017

RecordsAs evidence for the Practical Endorsement, you need records in your field notebook of:

location sketch and grid reference, field sketches of sedimentary feature A and sedimentary feature B, table of collected data for both sedimentary feature A and sedimentary feature B, with

appropriate units you may also include the completed circular data plots and graphs as examples of quantitative

and qualitative data presentation but this is not a required piece of evidence.

All work should be clearly dated.

In addition you should have considered the above questions as the answers to these questions will aid you in preparation for your written examinations.

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 8 © OCR 2017

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 9 © OCR 2017

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 10 © OCR 2017

This document may have been modified – if in doubt check the master version on OCR Interchange.

Version 1.0 – August 2017 11 © OCR 2017