Rocks & Minerals / Earthquakes & Volcanoes
(1) IDENTIFYING ROCKS AND MINERALS
- Group activity: Classification exercise: Developing a classification scheme
- Color (streak test)
- Luster (galena)
- Hardness (nail (5-6; penny 3.5; fingernail 2.5)): hardness test kits; hardness
- Crystal shape (geode,rock candy; alum: microscope: silver crystal formation; salt, gypsum, quartzite, wulfenite
- Density obsidian; pumice; compare the density of two rocks
- Magnetic properties (suspended paperclip, lodestone; making compass; globes)
- Electrical conductivity (lodestone & multimeter)
- Fluorescence (rocks, stamps)
- Optical properties: calcite (double refraction); tv rock
- Keying exercise: shale
(2) CLASSIFICATION OF ROCKS: IGNEOUS,
SEDMENTARY, METAMORPHIC
- Igneous: Obsidian; pumice, jasper: Glass bending; Lava flows
- Igneous: meteorites
- Sedimentation: sandstone (10)
- sedimentation: coquina (9)
- Evaporation/crystalization: halite (20) salty; salt cubes: dissolve: conductivity meter; boil off salt water to form salt crystals
- Fossilization: coal, graphite (pencil lead); Oil shale (Towsley Canyon);
- Chemical processes: sulfuric acid and sugar
- Fossilization: Petrified wood
- Fossilization: limestone (shells): acid test on limestone; shale (Carson pass fossils)
- Metamorphic processes: marble
- Laserdisc: Geology, The rock cycle
(3) EROSION
- EARTHQUAKE; Wave spring; laser; ruler; tape
- WATER; Smooth rocks, Grand Canyon
- ANIMALS; Rocks with holes
- ICE; Freeze fracture
- FRICTION; Sandstone is made of sand
(4) EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES
- Earthquake activity
- Volcano World
- Videos: Born of Fire
- Earthquakes and volcanoes build mountains. Use aerial and space photography and topographical mapping resources to find volcanoes. View your home or the school from space.
- Laserdiscs images of earthquakes & volcanic activity
(5) MAKING POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
- Use images of minerals, earthquakes, and volcanoes.
Sample Keying Exercise
Example of Leading Questioning : Is this rock shale?
(1) Shale is a sedimentary rock.
What features might indicate that this is a sedimentary rock, and not a metamorphic or igneous rock?
(2) Shale is formed by the compression of clay or mud.
Does this look like compressed mud?
(3) Since shale is made of mud, it is scratched by metal such as coins, but not by fingernails.
Will coppet scratch this?
Will fingernails scratch it? (Moh's hardness scale: 2: scratch with fingernail, 3: scratch with a copper penny)
(4) Shale often smells like mud when wet.
Does this smell like mud or clay when wet?
(5) On the basis of your observations, do you think it is shale?