Rocks

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Rocks Minerals

• Divisions B C

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Description

• Participants will demonstrate their knowledge of
  rocks and minerals including, but not limited to,
  formation, identification, classification,
  economic importance, composition, identification
  keys, and common diagnostic tools.

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Event Parameters

• Teams of 2
• Students can bring
• Pens/pencils
• Fingernails
• Hand lenses
• Reference materials to fit in an area 12x12x3

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Students should know how to use

• Streak plates unglazed porcelain plate, rub
  minerals across it to determine true color of
  mineral

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Students should know how to use

• Mohs Hardness Scale
• To determine hardness, try to scratch mineral
  with each object
• If the mineral is softer than the object, it will
  be scratched by it

If an unknown sample can not be scratched by your
fingernail (2.5) but it can be scratched by a
penny (3.5), then it's hardness is between 2.5
and 3.5. An example of a mineral that has a
hardness between 2.5 and 3.5 is calcite (3).
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Mohs Hardness Scale
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Students should know how to use

• Spring scale, water, calculator to find
  specific gravity
• SG mass in air
• (mass in air mass in water)
• No units

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Example

• Mineral A has a mass of 50 grams in the air and
  25 grams in the water.
• SG 50g 50 g 2
• (50g 25g) 25 g

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How to prepare for event

• Download rocks minerals list from
  www.soinc.org
• 93 rocks minerals a possible 5 more from
  individual event leaders regional/state
  director must notify you at least 6 weeks in
  advance

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How to prepare for event

• Students should create a notebook
• ½ - 1 page for each item, separated by major
  types (i.e. minerals, metamorphic, sedimentary,
  etc)
• Big reference books will only slow them down
• Creating a notebook will actually help them learn
  the specimens and not rely on the reference books
  as a crutch

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How to prepare for event

• Have students touch as many specimens as possible
• A good event will have many real specimens
• Enlist your earth science teachers we love
  rocks!
• Have students dig out their rock collections from
  home
• Have students go rock hounding at school or home
  and work to identify what they find
• Its rocks minerals year at NCSTA (Nov 910 in
  Greensboro) have someone pick you up a set!

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Free Rocks Minerals Kit

• The Tarheel Gem and Mineral Club is generously
  offering to purchase Rocks and Minerals kits for
  schools without these resources to help students
  interested in geology, rocks, minerals, and
  fossils. The club will select 10-15 schools to
  purchase kits for. If you are interested in
  applying for one of these kits, please submit a
  letter with your request and why you believe your
  school should be awarded the kit. The Deadline
  for receiving your letter is November 17,
  2006.Please send your letter toThe Tarheel Gem
  and Mineral ClubAtten Walt Milowic1009 Panther
  Hill LaneRaleigh, NC 27603

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How to prepare for event

• Create time trials for this event
• Students will likely have 2 3 min/station
• Get them used to working under those time
  constraints
• Have them split up the workload
• Have them learn to jot down notes when they dont
  get done
• Some stations will go more quickly than others,
  they may have time to finish answering a question
  at another station

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Classification is only the first step

• Most stations will combine name with economic
  importance, special properties, composition, etc
• This is where the reference manuals/notebook will
  be helpful
• If they are able to quickly identify the
  rock/mineral, they can spend more of their time
  looking up its significance

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Questions?

• Please contact me!
• Kim Gervase
• kgervase_at_hotmail.com