Ch6 ROCKS – Getting Started
Think about it…What do you already know?
 What are rocks made of? MINERALS
 What are the 3 types of rocks? IGNEOUS, SEDIMENTARY, METAMORPHIC
 How are rocks formed? COOLING OF MOLTEN ROCK, COMPACTION OF SEDIMENTS, HEAT & PRESSURE
 How are rocks classified (grouped)? BY THE PROCESSES THAT FORM THEM
 Can rocks change over time? YES, IT IS CALLED THE ROCK CYCLE
The Grand Canyon: (answers the questions using the pictures shown to you on the board)
1. Describe what you see. LAYERS OF ROCKS
2. How was it formed? WEATHERED & ERODED BY THE COLORADO RIVER
3. What do the different colors of the layers indicate? DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROCKS
4. What some things we can learn by studying rocks? HISTORY OF AN AREA, HOW OLD & WHAT KINDS OF LIFE
THE IMPORTANCE OF ROCKS
1. BUILDING MATERIAL
 Brick
 Cement
 Granite
 Marble
 Slate
2. POWER/ELECTRICITY
 Bituminous Coal
 Anthracite Coal
3. GLASS
 Sandstone
4. STEEL MAKING
 Limestone
 Purified Coal
5. SOIL
 weathered rock fragments
 organic matter
6. GIVES A VIEW INTO EARTH’S PAST
 Coal in Antarctic
 Seashell fossils on Mt. Everest
Video Clip: The Grand Canyon – How the Earth was Made
1. What is significant about the 1.7 billion year old Vishnu Schist?
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2. After the original six mile high mountains were eroded, how do geologists tell that the area was covered in water
multiple times?
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3. Why are the rock layers (all different types) in the Grand Canyon mostly red in color?
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4. What was different about the Laramide Orogeny from other mountain building events that caused the uplift of the
Colorado Plateau?
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5. What is John Douglass’ new idea published in 2000 about how the Grand Canyon formed?
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6. What does Joel Pederson’s sampling of different layers of sediment at the beginning of the Grand Canyon at Lee’s
Ferry tell us about the rate at which the Colorado River cut the Grand Canyon?
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7. What causes the Grand Canyon to be so wide (18 miles across at its widest point)?
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Name:________________________________
Date: _______________________
Block: _____
Exit Ticket: Why do we care about boring rocks?!?!?! Think about it…
 What can we learn from them? ______________________________________________________________
 How are they useful in everyday life? _________________________________________________________