Download Title: What rock type is the most porous and permeable? Objectives

Title: What rock type is the most porous and permeable?
Objectives:
 Compare the permeability of sand and clay.
 Identify which rock types would be ideal for groundwater storage (sand or clay based rocks).
Background
Much of Earth’s freshwater is found under the surface in groundwater. The water is stored in the pore
spaces between the mineral grains of rocks. Some rocks have a lot of pore space (porous) to store
water. These rocks are also permeable to water, because water can move through the pore spaces
through the rock layer. Porous and permeable rocks store underground water and are referred to as
aquifers. Rocks that do not have pore spaces or fractures between mineral grains are not porous or
permeable. These rocks do not store groundwater.
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Permeability
Experiment Design: How could you design an experiment to answer this question? Provide a sketch to
accompany your explanation.
Materials needed:
Procedure: (Write procedure in numbered sentences).
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 Hypothesis:
o Which rock material will be more porous and permeable? (Sand or clay)
o Why?
o What will the results of the experiment be based on your logic?
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Results/Data Create a data table to organize your results. Graph your results (on a separate
page/document)
Conclusion:
Claim: (Which rock material was the most porous and permeable? Was your hypothesis supported or
rejected?)
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Evidence: What is the evidence (the results you collected data) that support your claim?
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Reasoning: Explain your results in context of scientific principles at work. Why did you get those
results?
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