Mike Tuke’s
DEPOSITION
www.earth-science-activities.co.uk
Deposition
Jar of sediment
D or A I 3 min
Coffee jar full of water with sealed top containing a tablespoon of poorly sorted sediment is
turned upside down and then back again. Students observe the order in which the grains sink.
Flocculation
D
To show how when salt water mixes with muddy water, as in estuaries, it causes the clay to
flocculate. Two 200cc measuring cylinders are each filled with muddy water. The muddy water
must be made up from distilled water.
The mud can be made from cat litter or river mud. Add salt water to one and mix. Leave to
stand. Mud in cylinder with salt water will begin to settle within an hour the other will take
days.
Causes of flocculation
E P F 60 min
Students add the chemicals found in sea water to muddy water to see which causes
flocculation. Students try out different concentrations of NaCl to see how much is needed for
flocculation to occur.
Earth Science Activities and Demonstrations
