SEDIMENT

The Sediment Analysis study examines the changing geology of the creek bank and bed.

Few realize that the sediments of the creek bed play a huge role in determining the health of our Arcade Creek. The sediments that we will be analyzing are from disintegrated rocks transported by, suspended in, or deposited from water. Our samples may also include chemical and biochemical precipitates and decomposed organic material such as humus. Examination of sediment samples is essential because soil composition of the creek can be used as a possible indicator of erosion rates, and as a way to predict the type of vegetation and animal life present at the creek. The size of the sediments themselves can very well be the limiting factor for macro-invertebrates andmicro-invertebrates living in the creek. Our analysis will be used by other studies including biological assay and long mapping.