THEME - Rocks and Minerals

LINKS TO SITES ABOUT ROCKS AND MINERALS!

Click to Go!	This Site is About...	Your Challenge...
	Junior Rockhound	Check out... ...the rock and minerals section with lots of information! ...the cool section about fossils!
	Geodes	Discover... ...how geodes are created!
	Rocks and Minerals Slide Show!	Find out... ...about every kind of rock and mineral - see pictures up close!
	The Rock Cycle!	Explore... ...how rocks change from igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic and so on and so on!

THE THREE TYPES OR ROCKS!

IGNEOUS ROCKS	SEDIMENTARY ROCKS	METAMORPHIC ROCKS
The first type of rock is called igneous. These rocks are made by fire! Igneous rocks can be made deep under the ground or from melted rock from volcanoes! Granite is a type of igneous rock that is formed under the ground. It is very hard and is used for building. Pumice is another kind of igneous rock. It is made from the foam that bubbles up and out of volcanoes. Obsidian is another kind of igneous rock that comes from volcanoes. It is sometimes called volcanic glass because it is shiny and has sharp edges.	The second type of rock is called sedimentary. These rocks are made underwater! They are made from small pieces of sand and shells. Over time, the wind and the rain will break rocks into small pieces. These small pieces will settle in layers at the bottoms of rivers, lakes and oceans. Over millions of years, these layers and layers are squeezed together to make new rocks - sedimentary rocks! Limestone is an example of sedimentary rock. It takes many thousands of years to make limestone. It is used to make buildings. Sandstone is another type of sedimentary rock. It comes in different colours.	The third type of rock is called metamorphic. Just like the Power Rangers "morphed" or "changed into" other things, these are rocks that are made from other rocks. Metamorphic rocks are made from igneous and sedimentary rocks. Sometimes the heat of the earth can force rocks to change. Pressure from heavy rocks layered on top of each other, can also force rocks to change. There are many types of metamorphic rocks. Here are some examples. Slate is made from shale. Marble is made from limestone. Marble can come in many colours and can be made very smooth and shiny. A rock called gneiss can be made from granite. It has dark and light streaks in it.

INSIDE THE EARTH!

When we walk around on the surface of the Earth, the world looks flat. Did you know that way, way, way down deep inside the Earth, there are all sorts of cool layers that we can’t even see? It’s true! The Earth is like a big apple and if you sliced it open, you would find....ROCKS! All of these different kinds of rocks are packed together in different layers like a gigantic onion! It is important to learn all about how the Earth is made so that we can see where rocks are formed.
 

In this diagram you can see what it looks like inside of the Earth. Deep in the very middle of the Earth is the core (just like an apple, huh (?) The core has two parts, the inner core and the outer core. The inner core is made up of solid rocks and the outer core is made up of hot liquid rocks! Next is the mantle. The mantle is very thick and has rocks like stiff, red-hot jelly. Cool huh? (or maybe we should say Hot! Ha Ha!) Finally, is the crust. The crust is a layer of solid rocks.

ROCKS FROM INSIDE THE EARTH
A meteorite is a rock that comes from outer space, but it is made of the same rock as the Earth’s core. You might be wondering why we can’t have a picture or a real rock from the Earth’s core. The answer is that it is just too hot there to get a specimen. You will never see or touch the centre of the Earth. The temperature there is hot enough to boil iron! Yikes!	This close-up below, shows an eclogite rock. It is a metamorphic rock and comes from deep inside the Earth’s upper mantle. This rock is speckled with garnet crystals and green pyroxene minerals. It appears when there are violent movements of the Earth like during an earthquake for example.	The black rock below is called basalt. Basalt is one of the most common rocks in the Earth’s crust. It is an igneous rock and is hard and heavy. Basalt forms huge sheets over the land and the ocean floor.

Try this cool Rocks and Minerals Word Search on the Internet!

BOOKS TO CHECK OUT ABOUT ROCKS AND MINERALS!

Eyewitness Books Rocks and Minerals, by Dr. R.F. Symes
Eyewitness Books Crystal and Gem by Dr. R.R. Harding and Dr. R.F. Symes
The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth, by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
First Look at Rocks, by Millicent Selsam
Geology Rocks and Minerals by Richard Cadice and Edward Ortleb
The Concise Illustrated Book of Rocks and Minerals by Richard Moody


 

AT HOME ACTIVITIES

There are lots of things that you can do at home to learn more about Rocks and Minerals.
If you are from 4T feel free to try these out and bring them to school to share with us!
What a great way to expand your learning!

Super Cool Activities!