Pressure was one of our topics of the day. We saw examples of pressure and were introduced to customary units (psi) and metric units (Pascals, kPa, and N/cm^2). Of course, pressure is important, because it is one of the factors that causes metamorphic rocks to form from igneous and sedimentary rocks, as well as other metamorphic rocks.
This leads into the Rock Cycle, as we wrap up our study of rocks for the time being next week. Assignment:
We dealt with metamorphic rocks today, and identified what happened to certain igneous and sedimentary rocks that undergo metamorphism. For instance, we saw that shale becomes slate, and slate can be further metamorphosed into schist and then gneiss if the heat and pressure continues.
Review material: It may be helpful for some of us to review these online materials: Rock Cycle Sedimentary Rocks Igneous Rocks (only slides 1-42) Metamorphic Rocks (only slides 1-23) The home page for these online review units is: http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/esm/esm_tarbuck_escience_13/geode/ If your browser says you need to download Flash but you already have Flash, change to a different browser or enable Flash on your browser to use Flash for the website listed above. Safari on my Mac wouldn't run these units, but Firefox runs them just fine. I had to enable Adobe Flash on Safari and on Chrome. If you want to enable Flash on your browser but don't know how, just do a search on Adobe Flash, your browser's name, and your operating system, probably Windows or Mac OS. I haven't tried an iPad with iOS. My search terms were: Safari Flash Enable, and Chrome Adobe Flash Enable. The web site that you want to add to the Enabled list is: http://media.pearsoncmg.com Assignments:
Sedimentary rocks were our main concern today. What are some important sedimentary rocks?
By the way, there is an online review that may be of help to you as we learn about rocks: Rock Cycle Igneous Rocks (only slides 1-42) Sedimentary Rocks Metamorphic Rocks (only slides 1-23) Assignments:
Igneous rocks can be intrusive and extrusive. At which numbers below will you find instrusive rocks? Where will there be extrusive rocks? Can you give a couple of examples of each kind of igneous rock? What's the difference between granite and rhyolite? Assignments:
Assignment:
We took our test on minerals today.
Assignment:
Tomorrow will be our test on Chapter 3: Minerals. You should be able to calculate the density of a substance given its mass and its volume. The units for density will need to be properly treated as well. And you should certainly know what we mean by a substance and how a substance is different from a mixture.
Your decisions about the identities of the minerals you tested yesterday should be based on the observations you made. In the Conclusion section of your lab sheets you should make clear how you reached your decisions for each of the three minerals you tested. Because it is not easy to determine density and exact values for hardness on Moh's Scale with our equipment, you may not be certain of your choices. But you should be able to make the best choice from the list of minerals that you were given. Assignments:
We worked to identify three minerals by their density, luster, color, and hardness. We will take some time to discuss our questions and our findings tomorrow.
We decided to postpone our Ch 3 test until Friday. Assignment:
Crystal shape is different from cleavage, as we have seen. Quartz, which grows in lovely crystals, does not cleave at all. It fractures.
How do crystals form to begin with? Magma and lava, which is just magma on the surface of Earth, are just mixtures of different compounds and even sometimes elements such as gold. At different temperatures, different compounds begin to crystallize out of the magma (or lava). The slower the magma cools, the greater the time for crystals to grow. Eventually, all the magma will be crystallized, and the various crystals usually are mixed up with each other. The result of this mishmash of crystals is rocks! But some crystals will be NOT be mixed up with other kinds of crystals, and that's how minerals can form. Assignments:
Assignment:
Crystal Growing Project This project is optional. No student is required to do this. If a student is successful in growing a decent crystal, then this student will be able to use this project in place of writing a lab report about one of our future classroom experiments. The standards for a successful project are:
Students are encouraged to complete this work before the end of First Quarter. Crystals of NaCl, sugar, or alum are approved. Crystals of any other compound require approval in advance. All materials used should be non-toxic. Here are some examples of ways to grow crystals. Students are free to use other resources to guide their work.
There are many resources on the Web, and students are welcome to use the resource of their choice. Safety is of first importance, and so any use of a stove for heating or boiling water will necessitate prudent safety measures. Form for submitting a URL for a web resource |
Earth ScienceMr. Swackhamer Archives
March 2020
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