To see how various elements can separate from one another fill an empty large-mouthed jar (for example, a peanut butter jar) with sand, pebbles, coarse gravel, and small styrofoam pellets (perlite). Cap the jar and shake. After a vigorous shake, observe how the different materials settle. Is there a pattern? Shake the mixture a few times to allow the materials to settle. Which materials settle toward the bottom of the jar? Which materials migrate upward? How does the settling of various materials in the peanut butter jar mimic the distribution of Earth’s elements?