Rocky-to-Sandy Beach: A Weathering Model
A handful of “sand” from Brighton Beach in the UK.
Given a hypothetical civil engineering scenario, student pairs are tasked to apply their knowledge of the rock cycle, rock types, rock weathering and the engineering design process to model a potential method to create a sandy beach from three rocky island shorelines. For their abrasion weathering models, they use wide-mouth lidded jars and three types of candies that serve as the testing “rocks.” They simulate both low- and high-energy weathering environments. After completing the simple weathering techniques and analyzing their observations of the results, they conclude by recommending to the island developer which rocky shoreline would be the easiest, simplest, and most cost-effective from which to create a sandy beach. A worksheet and pre/post quiz are provided.
Civil engineers follow the steps of the engineering design process when tasked to determine the most suitable areas to develop roads, neighborhoods and communities. Construction challenges may arise due to the unique geological characteristics of an area, such as steep terrain, rivers, hard-packed dirt (clay or rock) or especially soft and unstable ground. Even with challenging terrain, other specific environmental features may be highly desirable, such as mountain communities and beach resorts. In all these scenarios (and more), engineers add to their scientific and mathematical knowledge a solid understanding of the engineering design process, which guides them to logically determine the most suitable and cost-effective developmental approach.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Follow the steps of the engineering design process to determine which shoreline would make the best beach (in the hypothetical scenario).
- Explain how high- vs. low-energy environmental conditions affect the weathering of rocks.
- Demonstrate how abrasion weathering is an effective method for the creation of beaches, either artificially or naturally.