Question

One student did an experiment on the rock cycle. The steps of the experiment are shown below.

• Half fill a glass bottle with pieces of granite.
• Pour dilute acid into the bottle to submerge all the granite pieces.
• After a week pour off the acid.
Shake the bottle vigorously for two minutes.
• Filter the contents of the bottle into a dish of water.
• Leave the dish undisturbed for an hour.
• Put two heavy weights on the material in the dish for a week.

What does the student's experiment most likely demonstrate about the rock cycle?
A) Pressure can cause melting of rocks to form igneous rocks.
B) Pressure can crystallize dissolved rocks to form sedimentary rocks.
C) A series of steps can cause weathering of rocks to form sedimentary rocks.
D) A series of steps can transform rocks into magma which cools to form igneous rocks.

Answer 1

The student's experiment demonstrates the process of rock weathering and the formation of sedimentary rocks through a series of steps that simulate chemical and physical weathering, deposition, and compaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's experiment most likely demonstrates how a series of steps can cause weathering of rocks to form sedimentary rocks. By submerging granite in acid, this simulates the chemical weathering rocks undergo. The shaking of the bottle mimics physical weathering, breaking the rocks into smaller pieces.

Filtering the material and letting it settle in water reflects the transportation and deposition processes, while applying pressure with heavy weights mimics the compaction that contributes to the formation of clastic sedimentary rocks. Therefore, the correct answer is C) A series of steps can cause weathering of rocks to form sedimentary rocks.