Science project
Pasta Coquina: Make Your Own Sedimentary Rock
Problem:
What is coquina? What is it made of?
Materials:
- 1 disposable cup
- 1/2 cup of pasta, at least three shapes and sizes (shells, macaroni, rotelle, whatever you’ve got)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 disposable stirrer
- 2 tablespoons white glue
- 1 piece of wax paper
- 1 sample of coquina
- 1 magnifying glass
- 1 piece of paper and a pencil
Procedure:
- Take a small amount of the pasta (maybe about a quarter of it) and break it into smaller pieces.
- Put all of the pasta, whole and broken, into the cup.
- Pour the water over the pasta and use the stirrer to stir it around until all of it is wet all over. Pour out the water out carefully.
- Put the glue in the cup with the wet pasta and stir it until the pasta is evenly coated with it.
- Dump the glue-coated pasta out onto the wax paper and leave it out to dry where it won’t be messed with.
- Leave it to dry completely (this may take a day or so).
- Pick up your homemade sample and look it over carefully. Draw a close-up picture of it showing the different shapes.
Why?:
Coquina is a sedimentary rock that’s formed when seawater minerals cement seashells and sand together.
References:
Dig It!: Over 40 Experiments in Geology, by Lockwood DeWitt and B. K. Hixson, pp. 165-168 (Loose in the Lab Science Series, 2003).
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Warning is hereby given that not all Project Ideas are appropriate for all individuals or in all circumstances. Implementation of any Science Project Idea should be undertaken only in appropriate settings and with appropriate parental or other supervision. Reading and following the safety precautions of all materials used in a project is the sole responsibility of each individual. For further information, consult your state's handbook of Science Safety.
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