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Example of Sieve Analysis Data Calculations, Graphs, and Data
Presentation.
Sample Description and Location : Upper Sand over shelly zone, GA 88, Eocene Sandstone
Weight of Sand and Packet 36.90 grams Weight of Packet 3.38 grams
Weight of Dry Sample before Sieving 33.52 grams (this value is calculated by subtracting the packet weight from the
Weight of Sand and Packet)
Screen
Opening
(phi)
Weight of
Beaker
with sand
(grams)
Weight of
beaker
empty
(grams)
Weight of
Sand
(grams)
Cumulative
Weight
(grams)
Weight
Percent
Cumulative
Weight
Percent
-1 (10) 5.27 2.32 2.95 2.95 8.83 8.83
0 (18) 7.27 2.32 4.95 7.90 14.81 23.64
1 (35) 15.66 2.30 13.36 21.26 39.98 63.61
2 (60) 11.86 2.31 9.55 30.81 28.58 92.19
3 (120) 4.44 2.31 2.13 32.94 6.37 98.56
4 (230) 2.78 2.32 0.46 33.40 1.38 99.94
5 (pan) 2.31 2.29 0.02 33.42 0.06 100.00
Total Weight of Sieve Fractions 33.42 grams Percent of Dry Weight 99.70%
The weight of sand is calculated by subtracting the weight of the beaker empty from the weight of the beaker with sand. So
for -1 phi data 5.27 - 2.32 = 2.95
Cumulative weight is the sum of the weights thus -1 phi value is the starting point and for the 0 phi line the cumulative
weight is the weight of the sand from -1 added to the 0 phi weight of sand. So 2.95 + 4.95 = 7.90, and the 1 phi cumulative
weight is 7.90 + 13.36 = 21.26, etc.
Weight percent is the total weight of Sieve Fraction Divided into each weight of the sand fractions. Thus for -1 phi 2.95 is
divided by 33.42 then times 100 = 8.83 %. ( times 100 will convert decimal to percent).
Cumulative weight percent is calculated by dividing the total weight of sieve fraction into each of the cumulative weight
values. Thus for -1 phi 2.95 is divide by 33.42 times 100 = 8.83 %, 0 phi 7.90 is divided by 33.42 times 100 = 23.64 %
The Percent of Dry Weight is calculated by dividing the Total weight of Sieve Fractions by the Weight of Dry Sample
before Sieving, times 100. So for our example 33.42/33.52 times 100 = 99.7 %. This gives what percent of the sand you
Example of Sieve Analysis Data Calculations, Graphs, and Data Presentation http://gpc.edu/~janderso/historic/labman/calcexp.htm
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began with you recorded after sieving. A percent lower than 97% means very poor laboratory technique. This number also
shows the amount of error in your experimentation process.

To Graph this data you will use the Weight Percent for the histogram and the Frequency Curve. The Frequency curve for
this data looks like this.
The Cumulative percent data is used on the Cumulative Arithmetic Curve and the Probability Curve (which is graphed on
probability graph paper). The Cumulative Arithmetic Curve is shown below for this data.
The Probability Curve is where you will interpret various values you will need to plug into the Folk and Ward Formulae.
The graph you produce will look something like the graph below (image5a.gif). Your graph will be more precise than this
example. The formulae require the phi value at 5%, 16%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 84%, and 95%. To interpret these values you
will find where your line for the data crosses these percentages. You will project a line down to the phi scale and record
the phi value (as the line on the graph shows the phi value at 50%) Your graph you will be able to determine the phi value
to the one-hundredth of a phi (0.01 phi). Thus on this graph the phi value at 50% would be 1.43 phi (on your graph you
will have 0.1 phi lines and you will be able to interpolate to the one-hundredth of a phi (0.01).
Example of Sieve Analysis Data Calculations, Graphs, and Data Presentation http://gpc.edu/~janderso/historic/labman/calcexp.htm
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Thus the values for the data are:
Percent
Phi Value
5 -1.13
16 -0.42
25 0.05
50 0.67
75 1.29
84 1.60
95 2.30

So using Folk and Wards Formulae, the various calculations would be:
Example of Sieve Analysis Data Calculations, Graphs, and Data Presentation http://gpc.edu/~janderso/historic/labman/calcexp.htm
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From the charts in the lab exercise you can translate these numbers to words. Thus:
For the Graphic Mean the number represents the Mean grain size is Coarse Sand (0.62)
For the Inclusive Graphic Standard Deviation the number represents the sample to be Poorly Sorted (1.02)
For the Inclusive Graphic Skewness the number represents the sample is Near-symmetrical in its distribution (-0.06)
For the Graphic Kurtosis the number represents the sample is Leptokurtic (1.13)
These numbers can be used to relate known samples to unknown samples numerically. What you will find is the numbers
will not match exactly, but they will be close. Thus if we had a known Depositional environment which had a mean grain
size of 0.72, sorting of 1.10, skewness of 0.06, and kurtosis of 1.23. The sample we have just calculated since its values are
so close to these we could conclude that most likely these samples are from the same depositional environment.

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