Sedimentator Tube

The Sedimentator is a tube with different types of sediments for students to use for observing movement, deposition, and layering of sediments and organic materials. These observations apply to sedimentary rock formation and fossil formation. With just a gentle shake and a flip of the tube into an upright position, students can observe how sedimentation occurs in rivers, streams, swamps, marshes, lakes, and oceans. Letting the Sedimentator stand for several minutes will allow students to watch the suspended organic material slowly settle to form a dark layer. Students can predict the order in which different sediments settle along the bottom of a river or in a river delta. They can also classify the types of sediments and observe how organic material becomes trapped in sedimentary layers - the beginning of the fossilization process. Students can hold the tube horizontally and simulate different rates of water flow in a stream bed, showing how fast water must flow to move the different types of sediments downstream. They can also use their observations to determine how moving particles become rounded.