Now entering Massachusetts: Igneous Rock
When the first people came to Massachusetts, they discovered that there was a very high amount
of granite in the ground. New England is known for granite, so much so that the nickname for New
Hampshire is “the granite state”.
On October 11, 1825...the New Hampshire Gazette, page 3, vol LXX, issue 47, wrote: “If New-Hampshire
is called a Granite State, Boston may be called a Granite City–for Art makes as great a display of this
beautiful and durable material here, as nature does there.”
Station A: Rock Table
Create the following table in your spiral. Read the description of
extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks. Look at the rock samples and
complete the chart.
Use the sheet from the other day for helpful tips on filling out the chart!
Color
Texture
Origin:
Intrusive or Extrusive?
Why?
What kind of rock is this? Use the website on the computer
help you!
1
2
3
4
Station 1B: Reading Table
Define the key terms for this station in your spiral igneous, intrusive, extrusive
Identify the major uses for igneous rocks in your spiral.
Station 1C: Journal Entry
After completing stations A and B, create a journal entry in your spiral.
Imagine that you are an explorer that went on an expedition and just
discovered everything in this station.
The following words/ideas must be found in
your entry and used to show meaning:
 Your location within the United States
 igneous,intrusive, extrusive
 types and descriptions of rocks discovered on your trip
 diagram showing something learned
 Based on your findings of igneous rocks in Massachusetts, what can
you hypothesize about the history of geographical features in this area?
Welcome to the Sunshine State- Florida: Forming Sedimentary
As coral, shellfish, and fish skeletons piled up, this created a layer of limestone hundreds (in some places
thousands) of feet thick. As the Appalachian Mountains eroded, sand and clay were deposited over Florida’s
limestone layer. Because limestone is porous, water gradually dissolves the rock and forms cracks and
passages. The limestone layer of the state is honeycombed with underground rivers. Where the rivers break
through to the surface, springs and sinkholes are found.
Crayon Rocks: Label each phase in your spiral and answer the questions for that phase. As you go
throughout this activity, make sure to reference the definitions at this table.
Creating your rock
Phase 1:
Directions: Use a coin to shave the crayons into small pieces. Collect the shavings on a paper towel.
Questions:
Based on the definitions, what process does this represent?
What do the different colored crayons represent?
Are the pieces the same shape and size? Describe them. Would you expect this to be the same in
nature?
What are three real world weathering agents? (things that cause weathering)
Phase 2:
Directions: Move your crayon shavings to a piece of foil. Each person at the table should do this until all shavings are
top of one another on the same piece of foil.
Questions:
Based on the definitions, what two processes does this represent?
Are the spaces between the shavings the same shape and size? Large/Small/Regular/Irregular?
What happens to sediments during erosion? Deposition?
What are three real world erosion agents? (things that cause erosion)
Phase 3:
Directions: Carefully fold the foil containing the shavings and create a closed packet. Take turns firmly pressing the pa
between the palms of your hands. You may also place it on the table and press down. Always press in the same direct
Questions:
Based on the definitions, what process does this represent?
Are the shavings tightly or loosely packed?
Do you see any layers? Are they thick or thin?
What type of rock does this represent?
What process was NOT done in this activity? Describe that process.
CLEAN UP WHEN DONE
Journal Entry
After completing phases 1-3, create a journal entry. Imagine that
you are an explorer that went on an expedition and just discovered
everything in this station. The following words/ideas must be found in
your entry and used to show meaning:
 Your location in the country
 weathering, erosion, sediment, deposition, compaction, cementation
 diagram showing something learned
Welcome to Utah: Sedimentary Rock
Canyonlands National Park includes a huge area of rugged land west and south of Moab,
Utah. It consists of canyons and plateaus carved by two mighty rivers - the Colorado and the
Green. The park offers some of the most challenging 4X4 roads and whitewater rapids in the
world. It also offers great opportunities to hike, bike and engage in other recreational activities.
Canyonlands National Park is a showcase of geology. In each of the park's districts, visitors
can see the remarkable effects of millions of years of erosion on a landscape of sedimentary
rock.The Green River has carved a channel out of sedimentary rock layers deposited nearly 300
million years ago.
Station 1A: Rock Table
Create the following table in your spiral.
Read the description of Detrital, Organic, and Chemical rocks. Look at
the rock samples and complete the chart.
Use the sheet from the other day for helpful tips on filling out the chart!
Color
Texture
Origin:
detrital, organic, or chemical?
Why?
What kind of rock is this? Use the website on the comp
to help you!
1
2
3
4
5
Station 1B: Reading Table
Define the key terms for this station in your spiral. detrital, organic, chemical, sedimentary
Identify the major uses for sedimentary rocks in your spiral.
Station 1C: Journal Entry
After completing stations A and B, create a journal entry in your spiral.
Imagine that you are an explorer that went on an expedition and just
discovered everything in this station. The following words/ideas must
be found in your entry and used to show meaning:
 Your location within the United States
 detrital, organic, chemical, sedimentary
 Types and descriptions of rocks discovered on your trip
 Diagram showing something learned
Welcome to Yellowstone: Forming Metamorphic
Occurring far back in the antiquity of the Precambrian Era—approximately 2.7 billion years
ago according to radiometric dating (fig. 6)—the oldest event resulted in rocks so crumpled and
changed by heat and pressure that their original character is obscure. These rocks, having been
transformed from still older ones, are called metamorphic rocks.
Gneiss, a coarsely banded rock (fig. 7), and schist, a finely banded rock, are the most
common kinds of metamorphic rocks in Yellowstone. Originally, the gneiss probably was granite,
and the schist was a shale or sandstone. Outcrops of the gneisses and schists occur only in the
northern part of the Park
The nature of the rocks reveals their origins, Geologists believe that "the present is the key to the past."
Create the following table in your spiral:
Amount of time that heat and pressure was
applied
Observations
Describe what would be happening if these
rocks.
READ ALL DIRECTIONS BEFORE STARTING!
1. Divide into two equal groups. Throughout the whole activity, make sure that you switch off
doing the hands on portion.
2. In this activity, pieces of clay will represent different minerals/rocks. In the center of the foil,
line up your three ‘minerals/rocks’ so that they are touching.
3. Fold the piece of foil so that it covers the rock top and bottom, but you can still see the
‘minerals/rocks/’.
4. Place the red, duct tape brick on top of your ‘minerals/rocks’. One person should apply
some pressure to the brick.
5. Another group member should take the hair dryer and point it at the ‘minerals/rocks’, moving
it so it heats everything evenly. Do this for one minute.
6. Open up the foil and record your observations. CAUTION!!!!! Foil may be HOT!!
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6, this time running the hair dryer for 2min, then try 3min, then try 4min,
then 5min.
8. Throw out tinfoil and clay and clean up the table when done.
Journal Entry
After completing the activity, create a journal entry. Imagine that
you are an explorer that went on an expedition and just discovered
everything in this station. The following words/ideas must be found in
your entry and used to show meaning:
 your location in the country
 heat, pressure, metamorphic, layers and swirls
 diagram of how a metamorphic rock forms
Colorado welcomes you to the Great Rocky Mountains: Metamorphic Rock
The rocks in the Rocky Mountains were formed before the mountains were raised by tectonic
forces. The oldest rock is Precambrian metamorphic rock that forms the core of the North
American continent.
“You don't need to climb a mountain to know that it's high.” ― Paulo Coelho
Station 1A: Rock Table
Create the following table in your spiral.
Read the description of metamorphic rocks. Look at
the rock samples and complete the chart.
Use the sheet from the other day for helpful tips on filling out the chart!
Color
Texture
Origin
classified as foliated or
nonfoliated? Why?
What kind of rock is this? Use the website on the
computers to help you!
1
2
3
4
Station 1B: Reading Table
Define the key terms for this station in your spiral. Metamorphic, foliated,
nonfoliated
Identify the major uses for metamorphic rocks in your spiral.
Station 1C: Journal Entry
After completing stations A and B, create a journal entry in your spiral.
Imagine that you are an explorer that went on an expedition and just
discovered everything in this station. The following words/ideas must
be found in your entry and used to show meaning:
 Your location within the United States
 Metamorphic, foliated, nonfoliated
 Types and descriptions of rocks discovered on your trip
 Diagram showing something learned
 Based on your findings of metamorphic rock on the surface of the Rocky
Mountains, what can you hypothesize about the history of geographical
features in this area?
Welcome to Hawaii: Forming Igneous
Volcanoes are monuments to Earth's origin, evidence that its primordial
forces are still at work. During a volcanic eruption, we are reminded that our
planet is an ever-changing environment whose basic processes are beyond
human control.
Today Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Displays the results of at least 70
million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution in the Hawaiian IslandEmperor Seamount chain-processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and
clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems and a distinct human culture.
In these activities we will demonstrate the relationship between how long
lava/magma has to cool and the way an igneous rock looks. We will be using
beans to represent the minerals in the lava and magma. Minerals clump
together to form crystals. The more minerals (beans) clumped together the
bigger the crystal. Thus a larger group of beans represents a larger
crystal. We will sort three times. The first time you will have 20 seconds, then
60 seconds and finally 2 minutes. Do not pick up the beans as there is no
one in the magma picking up the minerals they are pushed around. You can
only push the beans around in the tray. You should sort while your partner
times and then switch.
Copy the table into your spiral
Time How well
sorted?
What would be the crystal
size?
Example of intrusive or
extrusive?
Activity 1
1. Set your timer for 20 seconds
2. Try to sort the beans into clumps of the same type
3. Draw how well you were able to sort the beans - you can make a
rectangle in your journal and then sketch how well you were able to sort
the beans, show which sections were clumps of the same type and which
were still mixed up.
4. Fill out the table.
Activity 2
1. Set your timer for 60 seconds.
2. Try to sort the beans into clumps of the same type
3. Draw how well you were able to sort the beans - you can make a
rectangle in your journal and then sketch how well you were able to sort
the beans, show which sections were clumps of the same type and which
were still mixed up.
4. Fill out the table.
Activity 3
1. Set your timer for 5 minutes
2. Try to sort the beans into clumps of the same type
3. Draw how well you were able to sort the beans - you can make a
rectangle in your journal and then sketch how well you were able to sort
the beans, show which sections were clumps of the same type and which
were still mixed up.
4. Fill out the table.
Journal Entry
After completing activities 1,2 and 3, create a journal entry. Imagine that
you are an explorer that went on an expedition and just discovered
everything in this station. The following words/ideas must be found in
your entry and used to show meaning:
 cooling quickly, cooling slowly, intrusive, extrusive
 diagram the formation of large and small crystals