1. The Earth in Motion: A Story of Rock Formation
Presented by:
Jennifer Wickersham
Science Instructor
Wolfe Middle School
Center Line Public Schools
April 10, 2010

2. Time for “A Box of Rocks”
Activity
Time for “A Box of Rocks”

3. Teacher ‘s Background Information
The Earth’s Crust
The outer layer of the earth.
About 22 miles thick (35 km) under the continents.
About 6 miles thick (10 km) thick under the oceans.
The crust is made of ROCK!

4. What Makes a Rock? Think of a salad…
Many ingredients (lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, dressing) make a salad.
Individually, the ingredients are ONE type of food.

5. Rocks are Made of Minerals!
Minerals are the “ingredients” of rocks.
Alone, they are minerals…together they are rocks!

6. What Is a Mineral? Solid Inorganic (Not from plants or animals)
Naturally Occurring (Not man-made)
Crystalline Structure (Specific shape)
Definite Chemical Composition (A single substance)

7. They All Look the Same to Me!
Look closely at your sample…
Does it appear to be a single substance?
It is probably a mineral.
Are there many “grains” or clearly more than one substance?
It is probably a rock.

8. Time for “Stories in Stone”!
LHS GEMS Teacher Guide
Sessions 6, 7, 8

9. Plate Tectonics…Briefly
Teacher ‘s Background Information
Plate Tectonics…Briefly
There are three basic types of plate movement:
Converging (moving together)
Diverging (moving apart)
Transforming (moving side by side)
GEMS “Stories in Stone” presents one type of plate movement – continental to oceanic convergence.

10. Igneous Rock Intrusive Extrusive Slow cooling inside the crust
Key: Formed from magma!
Igneous Rock
Intrusive
Slow cooling inside the crust
Larger than sand-sized crystal
grains
Extrusive
Quickly cooling on or above the crust
Smaller than sand sized crystal
grains or no crystals

11. Key: Formed by “leftovers”!
Sedimentary Rock
Key: Formed by “leftovers”!
Organic (plants and animals)
Clastic (fragments)
Chemical (dissolved minerals)

12. Metamorphic Rock Foliated Non-foliated Crystals are flattened
Key: Any pre-existing rock changed chemically and physically by heat and pressure!
Metamorphic Rock
Foliated
Crystals are flattened
in parallel bands
Layering
Non-foliated
No parallel bands
No Layering

13. The Rock Cycle

14. Activity After Stories in Stone…
Revisit “A Box of Rocks” with the Classification Chart

15. Extend It! Journey on the Rock Cycle Activity
Student Power Point – Rocks and Minerals
Make Plate Tectonic Models
Collect Local Rock Samples

16. Resources www.geology.com Rock Hounds: www.galleries.com/minerals
Rock Cycle Diagram: