EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE

(Grade 11/12)

FIRST QUARTER
Module 5

EXPLORING TYPES OF FAULT, STRATIFIED

ROCK FORMATION AND DATING
TECHNIQUES

Most Essential Learning Competency:

 Explain how the movement of plates leads to the formation of folds and fault.
(S11/12ES-Id-22)
 Describe how layers of rocks (stratified rocks) are formed. (S11/12ES-Id-25)
 Describe the different methods (relative and absolute dating) to determine the
age of stratified rocks (S11/12ES-Id-26)

For the Learners

In order for you to accomplish this learning module, you should observe the following
guidelines:

1. Read and understand the entire module page by page.

2. Carefully follow the instructions given for every activity that you will perform and always
observe precautionary measures.
3. Write in your notebook the important concepts that you will get from doing this module.
4. Ask your guardian to see if your answers are correct using the answer key card.
5. If possible, you may also watch the links given for further explanations.
6. Be honest when answering the activities and tests. Enjoy while learning.

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 Expectations

At the end of this learning module, you should be able to:

1. Understand how the plate tectonic processes lead to changes in Earth’s surface features;
2. Discuss the process of formation of stratified rocks; and
3. Understand how absolute and relative dating can be used to determine the age of stratified
rocks.

Pre-Test

Directions: Read the questions carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer on the blank provided
before the number.

____1. When the plate tectonics diverge, it will create what type of fault?
A. Hanging fault C. Reverse Fault
B. Normal Fault D. Strike-slip fault
____2. How does folding in rocks occur?
A. When two forces act towards each other at the same side.
B. When two forces act towards each other at opposite sides.
C. When two forces act away from each other at the same side.
D. When two forces act away from each other at opposite sides.
____3. When the small fragments of rocks are piling up before it becomes a stratified rock, the
process is called?
A. Erosion C. Compaction
B. Cementation D. Sedimentation
____4.Which stratigraphy law tells that sediments at the bottom are older than those on top?
A. Law of Inclusion C. Law of Superposition
B. Law of Horizontality D. Law of Cross-cutting
____5. Which radiometric techniques (absolute dating) can be used to determine the age of the Earth?
A. Carbon Dating C. Rubidium Dating
B. Potassium Dating D. Uranium Dating

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 Looking Back

When you were in Grade 10, you learned the concept of Plate Tectonic Theory. According to
this theory, the lithosphere of the Earth lies on top of the plates, and these plates are moving due to the
action of the convection cycles in the mantle, thus, it creates earthquake and changes in the lithosphere
(DepEd Science 10 Learning Module). This theory is further supported by the Continental Drift Theory
by Alfred Wegener and Sea-floor Spreading Theory by Harry Hess.

On this activity, you will recall the different plate boundary movements by choosing your
answer from the word bank that best describes the pictures.

Moves away from each other Divergence Moves towards each other
Convergence Moves laterally Transform

Type of Plate Movement How the Plates are Moving?

(domdomegg 2016, Types of Plate

Boundaries,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics )

Great job! Now that you recall the different types of plate movements and how these plates
might move, let’s investigate how it can change the lithospheric crust. On the next part of the module,
you will learn about the faults and folds, and you will see how these are related to the plate movements.

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 Brief Discussion

How do faults and folds are formed?

When a body of rock is acted by tectonic forces, it is likely to
become faulted or become folded. In Geology, a fault is defined as a
fracture in the rock body that cuts it into two blocks, whereby one block
moves relative to the other either upward, downward or lateral
movement during an earthquake (Duyanen and Andaya, 2016, pp.
109). As seen from Figure 1, there are three kinds of fault: normal
fault happens when the hanging wall plane moves downward relative
to the footwall and it occurs in divergent boundaries; reverse fault
(Thrust) occurs when the hanging wall moves upward relative to the
footwall during the convergence of plate boundaries; if the blocks in a
Fig. 1. Different Types of Faults transform boundaries move sideward relative to each other it creates a strike-slip fault.
(USGS, n.d.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?ter
m=fault)
To further discuss the types of faults, you may watch the video Types of Folds
(MooMooMath and Science, 2020).

On the other hand, a fold happens when a body of rock converges but did not break because of
its flexibility (Earle 2015, par. 1). Folds created in rock have
different anatomy: anticline is an upward fold, while a
downward fold is called a syncline as shown from Figure 2.
To further understand the formation of geological folds, you
may see the video What is a Geologic Fold? (MonkeySee,
2013). Figure 2. A geologic downward fold
(Mark A. Wilson, n.d.
https://www.britannica.com/science/syncline)

How do rocks become stratified?

A rock body may show some layering or stratification. This layered structure is formed due to
the deposition of rock fragments.
According to Braganza, 2005,
stratification in rocks formed in four
processes: (1) Sediments of rocks will be
deposited in the water and begin to settle
(sedimentation), (2) the sediments will
continue to pile up resulting to an increase
in pressure at the bottom (compaction), (3)
Figure 3. Formation of Layers in Sedimentary Rocks
(eschooltoday, n.d. http://www.eschooltoday.com/rocks/what-are-sedimentary-
rocks.html) further addition of layers will cause further
compaction forcing the water out of the layer, (4) the particles of fragmented rock will stick together to

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form new sedimentary rock (cementation). Stratification is important because it may indicate
information from the past like the type of eroded materials or fluctuations in the intensity of depositional
agents. To further understand the formation strata in rocks, you may watch the video Formation of
Strata (Mrs van de Bos, 2017).

How do we know the age of rocks?

Rocks are natural time capsules. Geologists can determine the age of different fossilized objects
based on the age of the rocks. They use two
different methods in aging the rocks:
Relative dating technique tells the relative
order of past events without determining their
exact age. This technique requires the
knowledge of stratigraphy – the analysis of
the order of archaeological remains based on
rock strata. Earle (2015, par. 1-3) mentioned
the Steno’s Law: Law of superposition (top
rock layer is younger than those at the
bottom), Law of Original Horizontality Figure 4. Steno’s Laws
(VectorMine, n.d. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/stenos-laws-vector-
(rock layers were deposited horizontally illustration-labeled-rocks-1530087539)

before it folded or faulted), Law of Inclusion (rock fragments included in a bigger rock is older than
the rock itself), Law of Cross-cutting (an igneous rock intrusion is younger than the layers it cuts off),
Law of Lateral Continuity (rock layers are laterally continuous before it was broken up by an event).
Other geological laws are the Law of Faunal Succession and the Law of Unconformities. To further
understand the different Laws of Stratigraphy, you may watch the video Laws of Relative Rock Dating
(London Jenks, 2015).

Another way to determine the age of rocks used by geologists is through absolute dating
technique. In this way, the exact age of the rocks or fossils is determined using radioactive substances
like carbon, uranium, lead, and potassium. Each radioactive substance has a specific half-life. For
example, carbon-14 has a half-life of 5 730 years, meaning 1.0 g of carbon-14 will become half after 5
730 years (Earle 2015, par. 5). Carbon-14 can be used to determine the age of an object up to 300 000
years, whereas Uranium-238 is useful to determine the age of an object up to 4.6 billion years. To
further explain how absolute dating works, kindly watch the video Radiometric or Absolute Rock
Dating (London Jenks, 2015).

Now that you have a background about the topic, it’s time to further explore the concepts that
were given to you. When doing the activities, always remember to follow the instructions indicated and

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always observe safety measures. Each question that you will answer correctly will merit one (1) point.
Activity 2
Enjoy learning!

Activity 1
It’s Your Fault!
(adopted from Science Learning Module 8)
Objective: To observe how different types of faults are formed.
Materials: Two cardboards and sand
Procedures:
1. Obtain two cardboards with same thickness and put them together end to end. Make a mound
of sand over the boundaries of the cardboards. Flatten the mound using another cardboard. (If
sand is not available, you can use any powder granules like sugar, coffee, and the likes)
2. While holding one cardboard steadily, slowly pull the other cardboard away from the other.
Q1. What do you observe on the mound of sand as you pull the cardboard away from the
other?

3. Repeat Step 1. By this time, push one cardboard towards the other in such a way that one
cardboard is placed over the other.
Q2. What do you observe on the mound of sand as one cardboard is placed over the other?

4. Repeat Step 1. Once you flattened the mound, draw parallel lines on the mound perpendicular
to the boundaries of the cardboard. While holding one cardboard steadily, slowly move the
other cardboard parallel to the direction of their boundaries.
Q3. What do you observe on the line over the mound of sand as you move the cardboard
parallel to the boundaries of the two cardboards?

Q4. While doing steps 2 to 4, what type of fault did you observe and what kind of plate
movement is responsible for the creation of these faults?

After completing this task, you now understand how different geological faults are formed.
Now, you will examine in the next activity how layering in rocks is formed.

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 Tasty Rock
Objective: To observe how stratifications in rocks are formed.
Materials: Clear glass, four different powdered granules
Procedures:
1. Obtain four different edible powders from your kitchen like black coffee powder, white sugar,
brown sugar, powdered juice (just make it sure that each powder has a distinguishable color),
and clear glass.

Q1. What do you think is represented by the different powdered granules?

2. Using a spoon, put the first powder inside the clear glass. Make it 4-5 mm thick then flatten the
powder.
Q2. In the formation of layers in rocks, what process is represented by this step?

3. Repeat step 2 using the remaining powders.

Q3. What do you think happens to the layers at the bottom as you add more powder on
the top?

Q4. What do you need to add in the set-up in order to solidify it?

Now that you have simulated the process of making stratified rocks, let us explore how
geologists can relatively determine the age of rocks.

Activity 3 Rock of Ages!

Objective: To arrange the layers of rocks from oldest to youngest using the laws of stratigraphy. Write
below each picture the sequence of letters that corresponds to each layer.
Kate Ciezlak, n.d.,Stratigraphy Worksheet,

5953703/https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/2371

1 2
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/23714273660

42736605953703/

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3 4

Remember

Based on the previous discussion and activities, you have learned the following:

 Faults and folds are created in the rocks because of the movement of the plate tectonics. The
fold is created when plates converge but were not able to break the rock. On the other hand,
fault can be created because of convergence, divergence, or slip of the plates. Faults can be a
normal fault, a reverse fault or a strike-slip fault.
 Rocks can also have layers or strata. These layers start to form when rocks become weathered
into fragments and eroded to a certain place. The fragments will be deposited in a certain place.
The continuous deposition will create several layers of rocks becoming heavier to compact the
bottom layer. In the presence of water, the fragments of rocks will change its properties and
will allow these fragments to become cemented.
 Geologists have developed techniques to determine the age of rocks. They can define the
relative age of the rock depending on their position and the fossil they contain. This technique
is called relative dating. Whereas, they can also estimate the age of rock using isotopic
substances like carbon and uranium. This technique is called absolute dating.

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Check your Understanding
You are almost done in this module. Now, let’s try if you can apply what you have learned from
the module. Let’s assume that you are a geologist who collected photographs from the Philippines and
the USA. On the space provided, you will determine if it is a fault or fold. If it is a fault, you need to
specify the kind of fault.

1 2

Gyprock in New Mexico, USA Fault Line in Zamboanga City

(James St. John, 2017, (The Mindanao Daily Mirror, 2019,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/23935036617) https://mindanaodailymirror.ph/Main/full_article/zamboanga-
city-has-two-unmarked-fault-lines-phivolcs3525)

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Fault line in Loboc, Bohol Fault line in the rock, Teran Wash
(EPA, 2013, http://peopleus.blogspot.com/2013/10/magnitude- (Esty Pape, 2013, https://azgeology.azgs.arizona.edu/azgs/image-
72-earthquake-hits-central.html) of-the-day/images/reverse-fault-teran-wash)

Post-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully. Write the letter that corresponds to your answer on the
blank provided before the number.
____1. What type of fault is created when the plate boundaries move sideways relative to one
another?
A. Hanging fault C. Reverse Fault
B. Normal Fault D. Strike-slip fault
____2. What causes the formation of folding in rocks?
A. Convergence C. Divergence
B. Deposition D. Erosion

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____3. Which process refers to the gluing of rock fragments so it becomes a solid rock?
A. Cementation C. Deposition
B. Compaction D. Erosion
____4. In which dating technique do you need extensive knowledge of stratigraphy?
A. Absolute Dating C. Radiometric Dating
B. Carbon Dating D. Relative Dating
____5. A geologist found a fossil that existed during the Jurassic period (201 to 145 million years
ago). Which dating technique is best to use to determine the fossil’s age?
A. Absolute Dating C. Relative Dating
B. Carbon Dating D. Uranium Dating

Reflection

Congratulations, you have reached the final task of this module! For each rock pebble, you will
write your insights about the topic by completing the statements.

Rocks determine time

I realized that life, just like
because…_______________
rock…__________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
__________ _________

In this module, I learned most The life-lesson that I learned

about…_________________ from rocks is…
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
__________ ________

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