Groundwater and Aquifers

Lab Brief #1

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

The slowest changes are the biggest ones.

What you'll learn

Groundwater fills spaces between rocks and soil underground. Aquifers are underground layers of rock that hold and transmit water. Many communities depend on wells that tap into aquifers.

Key words

rock cycle
The slow process where rocks change from one type to another.
aquifer
An underground layer of rock and soil that holds water.
water cycle
The way water moves from clouds to rain to rivers and back.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: which will erode faster?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

sand
clay
water

Get ready

⚠️ Safety first

Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards and keep the material away from your face.
Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.
Check glassware for chips before use and carry it with both hands.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Investigate soil layers: fill a jar with soil and water, shake it, and let it settle overnight. Identify the layers of clay, silt, sand, and organic matter.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Question 1 of 3

What is an aquifer?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What makes soil fertile?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What are the three types of rocks?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: What Causes Earthquakes All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the slowest change you can think of?”

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Groundwater and Aquifers

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