B18 Every Rock Tells A Story

B18 Rock Story Background A newspaper headline catches your eye. Some hikers may have found diamonds in a national forest that you visited last summer. Challenge Question: How can rocks be used to find minerals?

B18.1 Rock Story Anticipation Copy in lab book and answer whether you Agree (+) or Disagree (-) with the statements. After the activity, answer them again. BEFORE +/-AFTER +/-STATEMENT Rocks are made of minerals. All minerals are valuable. Minerals are found all over the Earth. It is easy to find valuable minerals. A mineral like calcite is only in 1 type of rock.

B18 Rock Story Procedure 1 Get a textbook. Read the newspaper article on page B31 titled “Discovery of Diamonds in Roughpoint National Forest?”.

B18 Rock Story Article part 1 Two hikers may have found diamonds when they were exploring an out-of-the-way section of Roughpoint National Forest. Victor Lin, one of the hikers, said, “We saw something sparkle in a layer of folded rock halfway up a cliff. The rock layers looked like they had been squeezed together. It was too high up for us to get a sample. We did collect a rock that looked like it had broken off from the upper part of the cliff.

B18 Rock Story Article part 2 According to Roughpoint Forest Ranger Elisa Ormond, it takes several days of hiking to get to that part of the forest. The only other way to reach it is by helicopter. “Before we spend a lot of time and money going out there, we want to make sure that they could really be diamonds. One way to do that is to examine the rock they found. Some minerals are more common in certain types of rocks.”

B18 Rock Story Article part 3 Diamonds are found in rocks called kimberlite. If the hiker’s rock is kimberlite, there is a great chance that they saw diamonds. There are many different kinds of lands owned by the U.S. government, including national forest, national parks, and wilderness areas. Most of these places allow hiking, camping, hunting, & fishing. Only some of these places allow the removal of natural resources.

B18 Rock Story Article part 4 Mining is allowed in Roughpoint. If diamonds are really there, people will be allowed to collect or mine them. The earth is covered in rocks and these rocks are made of minerals. Rocks are naturally formed solids made up of one or more minerals. Quartz and calcite are two of the more common minerals found in rocks. Most minerals such as diamond are rare. Of more than 2000 minerals on Earth, 30 are very common. These 30 make up 90% of the minerals in Earth’s crust.

B18 Rock Story Article part 5 Geologist search for rare and valuable minerals and look for clues to help find them. One clue is their knowledge that some minerals are found in certain rocks. For example native copper is often found in basalt rock. Because of this, geologists looking for native copper might be interested in searching an area containing basalt rock instead of an area full of kimberlite.

B18.2 Rock Story Discussion Table (copy into your lab book) STATEMENTSAGREE (+) OR DISAGREE (-) 1. The next thing that Ranger Ormond should do is fly out to the cliff where the diamonds might be. 2. It is worth spending time and money searching for diamonds. 3. People should be allowed to collect natural resources from government land. 4. Minerals are one of the most valuable materials found in the natural environment.

B18 Rock Story Procedure 2 Mark whether you Agree (+) or Disagree (-) with the statements from the Discussion Table Discuss the statements with your table group. Have each person share their opinion about each statement and explain why they agreed or disagreed. Discuss what Ranger Ormond should do next. If you disagree with your group, explain why. Go back and redo 18.1 Anticipation Table. Explain how the activity may have changed your ideas.

B18 Rock Story Analysis: Date_______ Name______________________ Hr__ 1. These rocks may contain these minerals. List all that you recognize: A) basalt may have copper, B) granite and rhyolite may have topaz, C) kimberlite may have diamond, D) marble and travertine may have calcite. 2. How can rocks be used to find minerals? 3. Why did the hikers think they saw diamonds? 4. Besides diamonds, what other minerals could the hikers have seen? Why do you think so? 5. Describe 3 tests to identify the hiker’s mineral.