Study Guide Rocks And Minerals Test
Contents. General Information In Rocks & Minerals, teams identify rocks and minerals from the and answer questions about them. This competition is usually in a station format. Competitors are allowed to bring one 3-ring binder of any size. In previous years teams were allowed to bring a commercially published; as of the season this is no longer allowed.
Rocks There are three classifications of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Any type of rock can be transformed into another kind. Igneous rocks are created from solidified magma (rock that has been melted inside the earth), sedimentary rocks are created when smaller bits of rock or sand are cemented together, and metamorphic rock are formed when other types of rocks are subjected to heat and pressure. Igneous Rocks There are two main classifications of igneous rocks: intrusive and extrusive rocks. Intrusive rocks harden slowly beneath the surface of the earth, and often form large mineral crystals within the rock.
Cambridge Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils. List of mineral tests. Is the study of the. Defect structure and concentration of the minerals in a rock. Teams will demonstrate their knowledge of rocks and minerals.
Granite is a good example of an intrusive rock. Porphyritic intrusive rocks have large crystals embedded in a matrix of smaller crystals. Pegmatite is the only porphyritic rock on the Science Olympiad list. Extrusive rocks harden quickly during a volcanic eruption and are usually smooth-grained. Basalt is the most common form of extrusive rock. Igneous Rocks Name Classification Description Andesite Extrusive Usually blackish-brown, sometimes greenish. Papier-mache look.Contains less than 5% quartz.
Basalt Extrusive Very dark, often black. Often contains phenocrysts of feldspars, olivine, and other dark minerals Diorite Intrusive Dark gray to blackish gray, mottled. Evenly speckled with dark and light minerals, salt-and-peppery look. Gabbro Intrusive Gray or light green, very coarse-grained. Granite Intrusive Crystals of feldspar (pink or red), mica (dark brown or black), and quartz (clear pink, white, or black).Coarse-grained. Obsidian Extrusive Shiny black.Volcanic glass, has a conchoidal fracture (see explanation of cleavage and fracture below) Be careful Pegmatite Intrusive Same composition as granite but has very large, usually light crystals. Pumice Extrusive Very light gray.
Also volcanic glass, but very light and bubbly. Only rock that floats. Rhyolite Extrusive Usually light grayish-pink. Made of the same minerals as obsidian and pumice, but did not cool as quickly. Scoria Extrusive Dark gray, red, or black. Composed of basalt that cooled very quickly with trapped air, so it is bubbly-looking. Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary rocks occur when smaller bits of rock and sand are cemented together.
Sedimentary rocks are either clastic or organic. Clastic rocks, like sandstone, form from other rocks and minerals. Organic rocks, like limestone and coal, form from the bodies or shells of organisms.
Go Field Guide: Rocks And Minerals
Golden Guide Rocks And Minerals
The Wentworth scale (also known as the Udden-Wentworth scale) is a logarithmic scale used in the United States that sorts rocks by grain size. It's typically not mentioned on regional tests, but may be found on the state level exam. The lower the value on the Wentworth scale, the larger the grain size. The formula for the Wentworth scale is.
This diamond is a mineral from within an igneous or metamorphic rock that formed at high temperature and pressure. Transition to Sedimentary: Rocks exposed to the atmosphere are variably unstable and subject to the processes of weathering and erosion. Weathering and erosion break the original rock down into smaller fragments and carry away dissolved material. This fragmented material accumulates and is buried by additional material.
While an individual grain of sand is still a member of the class of rock it was formed from, a rock made up of such grains fused together is sedimentary. Sedimentary rocks can be formed from the lithification of these buried smaller fragments (clastic sedimentary rock), the accumulation and lithification of material generated by living organisms (biogenic sedimentary rock - fossils), or lithification of chemically precipitated material from a mineral bearing solution due to evaporation (precipitate sedimentary rock). Clastic rocks can be formed from fragments broken apart from larger rocks of any type, due to processes such as erosion or from organic material, like plant remains. Biogenic and precipitate rocks form from the deposition of minerals from chemicals dissolved from all other rock types.
Minerals By definition, minerals must have definite chemical and crystal structures. There are a large variety of minerals, many of which are very common. In order to understand minerals, it is helpful to understand basic chemistry and the periodic table (this is not covered on this page, but can be found in any chemistry book). Each mineral can be classified by ten different characteristics: group, formula, color, streak, luster, crystal structure, cleavage, fracture, hardness, and specific gravity. Definitions Group Minerals are organized into groups based on their chemical makeup. Native elements are composed of a single, pure element; Sulfides contain sulfur, arsenic, tellurium, or selenium; Oxides and Hydroxides contain oxygen compounds; Halides contain sodium, chlorine, fluorine, iodine, or bromine; Carbonates and Borates contain the carbonate or borate groups; Sulfates contain the sulfate group; Phosphates, Arsenates, and Vanadates contain one of those chemical groups; Silicates contain the elements silicon and oxygen in some proportion.
Formula Each mineral has a definite chemical composition. For example, copper difluoride is CuF 2. Understanding the naming of formulas may require reviewing a chemistry textbook. Color Color is not a reliable way to identify minerals. Some minerals can be any color under the sun. While color can sometimes be useful, do not rely on it! Streak Streak is the color when a rock is rubbed across an unglazed piece of porcelain.
Streak is much more useful than color because a mineral always has the same streak, but it still has its limits because minerals harder than the streak plate will scratch the streak plate instead of producing powder. Luster A mineral’s luster is the way it reflects light. Descriptions of luster are very subjective but are sometimes useful. Common types of luster are vitreous (glassy), adamantine (brilliant or gem-like), resinous (resin-like), greasy, pearly, waxy, and silky. Crystal Structure Crystal structure is the basic shape of a mineral as it grows.
A good mineral book, like the Peterson Field Guide, will describe the different crystal structures. Here are some of them: Isometric - Three axes of symmetry, all at right angles to one another, and all of equal lengths. Sometimes called cubic. Tetragonal - Three axes of symmetry, all at right angles to one another, two of the same length and one shorter. Hexagonal (Trigonal) - Four axes of symmetry; three are of equal length and lie in the same plane at 120 degrees, the other can be any length and lies at right angles to the others. (Note: Trigonal is sometimes considered to be separate from hexagonal.) Orthorhombic - Three axes, all at right angles to one another, of three different lengths. Monoclinic - Three unequal axes, two at right angles, and the other inclined.
Triclinic - Three unequal axes, none of which are at right angles to any others. Cleavage When a mineral has the tendency to break along smooth, flat surfaces, it has cleavage.
If the break is perfectly smooth and shiny, it is said to have perfect cleavage. Cleavage can also be described as good, distinct, or poor. Fracture Fracture is described as the way a mineral breaks (not along a cleavage plane). It can be uneven, hackly (sharp, jagged surface like broken metal), splintery, or conchoidal (shell-like). Hardness The Moh’s Hardness Scale, which is used by most mineral collectors, is based on the hardness of other minerals.
It is on a scale of one to ten, ten being the hardest. To test two minerals against each other, try to scratch each mineral with the other in an inconspicuous place. If they both scratch each other, they have the same hardness. Kent ballast are review manual.
If only one causes a scratch, it is the hardest. Or, you can use common objects to see if the scratch or can be scratched by a mineral. Hardness Mineral or Common Object 1 Talc 2 Gypsum 2.5 Fingernail 3 Calcite 3 Copper penny 4 Fluorite 5 Apatite 5.5 Knife blade 6 Feldspar 6 Window glass 7 Quartz 7 Steel file 8 Topaz 9 Corundum 10 Diamond Specific Gravity Specific gravity (SG) is a measure of how dense a mineral is.
It compares the mass of one gram of the mineral to the mass of one gram of water. So a mineral with a SG of 4.5 is 4.5 times as heavy as water. With practice, you can tell whether a mineral specimen is 'light' (usually less than 3.5) or 'heavy' (greater than 4). Specific gravity can be helpful in detecting metallic minerals (which are usually heavier), or cases where a mineral is unusually heavy. For example, galena is a gray, metallic mineral with a high lead content, and it is noticeably heavy. Specific gravity is especially useful in the case of barite, a white mineral which is unusually heavy because it contains the heavy metal barium, but does not look metallic at all. This page does not list the characteristics of every mineral; however, more information can be found in any good mineral identification handbook.
Learning every characteristic of every mineral is possible, but it is a good idea to only try and memorize the one distinguishing characteristic of each mineral. Short descriptions that help remembering minerals are also a good idea. Simon and Schuster - Definitely the best one of them all. Okay pictures, a lot of information, and has great notes in the start of each section.
I think it is quite concise and efficient - very reliable. Not the easiest read, but definitely numero uno. Hands down Peterson - A not-so-close second, but a clear silver medalist here. Not as informative as Simon and Schuster, but does have nice pictures and good ID tips.
I like the layout. Good backup Audubon - This guide is pretty good, but rather unorganized.
There is a lot of information, but a lot of it is crammed too much and unimportant. The pictures are usually good, but the information was a bit outdated even in the most recent version Smithsonian - This one is great for learning how to identify the rocks, but once you get past that, its use and value drops considerably. Not a terrible start, though The Complete Guide to Rocks and Minerals - A bit similar to that of Smithsonian, but at least goes a bit in depth. Seems quite large to carry around while running to stations - might as well just use a binder So, in short, if you’re just starting off, try Peterson or Smithsonian. Once you’ve mastered some of the general basics, try your hand at Simon and Schuster.
But why use them when you can have a lovely binder? (Tip: it is perfectly okay to splice pages of your field guide into your binder) Advice.
Speed is the key: Rocks & Minerals is a very fast-paced event, and you need to be able to find what you want quickly because most stations have multiple tasks in a short time period, so organization is very important. Make sure you can quickly find information in your book and binder. Less may seem like more, but the advantages comes in knowing your binder and the material well. If you minimize the amount of information you bring, the amount of information you have to sort through to get to what you want will be less but you can also end up leaving out key information.
As a rule of thumb, keep it travel-sized (a one-inch binder should be plenty, and a fairly good book will do). If you want to be successful, do not just read this and expect it to tell you everything. Get a couple of good books and get to know them really, really well. Eventually you won’t need the books for basic identification, but it is always good to keep them around just in case. The Peterson Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals is a recommended field guide by a Rocks and Minerals veteran. The Audubon book is also recommended (the field guide, not the pocket guide), as is the Eyewitness Handbook. If you are really serious, buy or borrow a college book on geology or mineralogy.
There are also a lot of good internet resources. I suggest starting at www.minerals.net. It has good descriptions of minerals, and a lot of nice links. Include multiple images of each specimen in your binder, and work with actual specimens if you can.
Knowing how a specific rock or mineral looks will be more advantageous than having to flip through your binder to identify specific rocks or minerals. Links.
This is a 25 question rocks and minerals unit test. It aligns with the 3rd Grade Georgia Performance Science Standards. There are 21 multiple choice questions and 4 short answer questions. The four short answer questions require them to either read an informational chart about minerals or a small Mohs Scale of Hardness table. NEW: A STUDY GUIDE is also included!!! You might also like: Rocks & Minerals Mega Pack Rocks Foldable (Included in the Mega Pack) Minerals Foldable (Included in the Mega Pack) Rocks & Minerals Task Cards & SCOOT Rocks Mini Book http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rocks-Mini-Book-568195.