WHAT DID WE DO? We took an already existing finely layered sedimentary rock, crushed it, then ran it through our strata machine to see if we could 'put it back together again'. We discovered a suitable fine layered (laminated) rock just below a minor coal seam in Jurassic Rocks of the Myrtle Creek Formation at Jurassic Ark.
In this excavation (left 1) just under the 2 to 3cm thick dark coal band, there are a series of highly laminated strata – mostly dull white clay alternating with black carbon rich layers... zebra rock appearance. No cementing had occurred, so it is very soft and breaks up quickly upon exposure to air, sun and water.
From there:
1 ) we collected rock specimens (left 2).
2) we crushed the specimens (below 3).
3) we sieved to remove all coarse uncrushed rock (below 4).
4) we placed the crushed material into our strata machine tub with water, turned on a constant water flow through the venturi pump, and watched. Clem Grieger signs trial three (below 5) and Daryl Brenton shovels crushed rock for sieving.
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