ROCK HOUND
Study Guide
DESCRIPTION: Students will prepare a chart that they will use to help them identify various rock and mineral
specimens. They will then answer questions about the characteristics of these specimens.
TEAM SIZE: 1 or 2 students
APPROXIMATE TIME: 30 minutes
THE COMPETITION:
1. Teams will will identify rock and mineral specimens and answer questions about them. . Teams will have 1
minute per station to answer 4 to 7 multiple choice or true/false questions. The only items they will be allowed to
bring into the competition are two 5” x 7” cards. The rocks and minerals that competitors need to be familiar with
are listed below:
ROCKS basalt conglomerate bituminous coal gneiss granite limestone (fossil) marble obsidian pumice quartzite
sandstone schist (garnet) scoria shale slate
MINERALS: calcite copper feldspar (pink) quartz halite hematite quartz (crystal) graphite gypsum (satin-spar)
kaolinite gypsum (selenite) quartz (chert) pyrite mica-biotite ) fluorite mica-muscovite quartz (milky) talc lepidolite
galena
Rock and mineral characteristic questions may be about their color, specific gravity, relative hardness, reaction to
molar hydrochloric acid, shape, texture, etc.
SCORING: Each question answered correctly will be worth 1 point. The contestant with the highest total score will
be the winner. Ties will be broken using predetermined tiebreaker questions.
Rock Hound
Question Bank
(A=Bit. Coal, B=Anth. Coal)
What type(s) of specimens are these?
a. Minerals
b. Sedimentary
c. Igneous
d. Metamorphic
e. Metamorphic and Sedimentary
These specimens have been used in
a. Steam locomotives
b. Steel furnaces
c. Neither a or b
d. Both a and b
Which rock has very tiny fossils?
a. Anthracite coal
b. Bituminous coal
c. Basalt
d. Slate
Which specimen has the higher carbon content?
a. Specimen A
b. Specimen B
c. They are equal in carbon content
d. Neither, they contain no carbon
What is a rock?
a. It is another word for concrete.
b. A natural combination of one or more minerals.
c. An organic solid with economic value.
d. A fragment of the Earth’s crust.
(Gypsum A=Selenite, B=Sat Spar, C=Desert Rose)
These specimens can show what kind of fracture?
a. Conchoidal
b. Cubic
c. Hackly
d. Splintery
Specimen C is called
a. Desert Rose
b. Sandstone
c. Sandy Rose
d. Quartzite
Specimen A has cleavage that is
a. Perfect in one direction
b. Perfect in two dimensions
c. Perfect in three dimensions
d. Perfect in four dimensions
These specimens can be
a. Scratched with a fingernail
b. Scratched with a copper penny, but not with a fingernail
c. Scratched with a steel knife but not with a copper penny
d. Scratched with glass, but not with a steel knife
What word describes the way a mineral reflects light?
a. Crystalline formation
b. Gleam
c. Luster
d. Streak
(A=Calcite, B=Iceland Spar)
A volcanic rock with a hollow interior where crystals grow, but is not completely filled in
is called:
a. Agate b. Geode
Which specimen will show a double image?
a. Calcite Iceland Spar
b. Calcite Dog Tooth
c. Crystal Quartz
d. Halite
What is the crystal formation of Specimen B?
a. Cubic
b. Rhombohedral
c. Mono clinic
d. Hexagonal
Which of the following specimens will react to acid?
a. Quartz crystal
b. Gypsum Satin Spar
c. Calcite Iceland Spar
d. All of the above
What is a mineral?
a. An inorganic, naturally occurring crystalline solid.
b. A special kind of rock used for jewelry.
c. A rock that has reached the last stage in the rock cycle.
d. A type of fossil with unique elemental properties.
(Graphite)
The specimen in this box is
a. Ore of Lead
b. Pure carbon
c. Decaying plant, swamp or box
d. Ore of Iron
The streak of this specimen is
a. Brownish-red
b. Orange
c. Red
d. Black
Which is NOT a common use for this specimen?
a. Pencils
b. Fishing Rod
c. Golf club
d. Landscaping
What is the luster of this specimen?
a. Sub-metallic
b. Non-metallic
c. Metallic
d. Vitreous
e. Dull
What is the tendency to split along a definite crystalline plane yielding a smooth
surface?
a. Fracture
b. Structure
c. Habitat
d. Cleavage
(A=Garnet Schist, B=Gneiss)
The specimens in this box are
a. Minerals
b. Igneous rocks
c. Metamorphic rocks
d. Sedimentary rocks
e. A and B
Specimen A is
a. Galena
b. Garnet Schist
c. Gneiss
d. Metaquartzite
The crystals in specimen A are
a. Garnet crystals
b. Quartz crystals
c. Mica
d. Metaquartzite
e. Fluorite
The name of specimen B is
a. Metaquartzite
b. Marble
c. Gneiss
d. K-Feldspar
The stripes in specimen B are due to
a. deposition sediment layers.
b. the reorganization of minerals during metamorphosis.
c. crystal development during the cooling of magma.
d. impurities in the rock.
(A=Granite, B=Quartzite)
Specimen A was
a. Formed when magma cooled
b. Formed when lava cooled
c. Formed when quartz and feldspar cemented together
d. Formed from gneiss through metamorphosis
Specimen A is used
a. Mainly in art, as sculpture
b. Mainly in roads
c. Mainly in landscaping
d. Mainly ground to a fine powder in polishes
e. Mainly in buildings as countertops, tile and more
Specimen B
a. Was formed through erosion
b. Was formed from Sandstone through metamorphosis
c. Was formed from quartz cemented together
d. Was formed when lava cooled
Specimen B is considered to have
a. Smooth texture
b. Fine-grained texture
c. Medium-grained texture
d. Coarse-grained texture
e. Pebbly texture
Igneous rocks can become metamorphic through
a. plate tectonics squeezing intrusive rock.
b. glacial scour.
c. volcanic eruption.
d. erosion and compression.
(A=Marble, B=Quartz Milky)
These specimens are similar in that
a. They are both minerals
b. They are both metamorphic rocks
c. They are both igneous rocks
d. They are both white
e. They both have air bubbles
Specimen A has economic importance because it is used
a. In buildings
b. As an abrasive
c. As jewelry
d. To build roads
Specimen B is
a. Softer than Diamonds, harder than Corundum
b. Softer than Hematite, harder than talc
c. Softer than Talc, harder than Copper
d. Softer than Topaz, harder than Glass
What causes the different colors seen in Specimen B?
a. Heat
b. Impurities
c. Colored dyes
d. Pressure
Specimen A is made up of
a. Quartz, Calcite
b. Limestone
c. Mica, Quartz
d. Calcite, Shells
e. Calcite, Pyrite
(A=Halite, B=Quartz Crystal)
Specimen A was formed through
a. Erosion
b. Evaporation
c. Fossilized swamp materials
d. Volcanic activity
Specimen A is unusual in that
a. It does not react to acid
b. It is both a mineral and a rock
c. It has a white streak
d. It is translucent
Specimen A has economic importance because it is used
a. For road safety
b. As jewelry
c. Cooking
d. A and C
Specimen B is part of which family?
a. Mica
b. Coal
c. Quartz
d. Crystal
Specimen B has a specific gravity of
a. 2.65
b. 7
c. 2.8
d. 2.1
e. Too variable to have a single designation
(A=Pumice, B=Obsidian)
41. These specimens are alike in that:
a. They both float in water
b. They both have air holes
c. They are both formed by lava
d. They both have the same fracture tendencies
e. They both react to acid
42. Specimen B is also called
a. Soapstone b. Nature’s glass c. Fool’s gold d. Puddingstone e. Salt
Specimen A can be found
a. In ancient tools
b. In sculptures
c. In electronics
d. In soaps and polishes
The difference in the surfaces of these specimens was created by
a. They way in which the lava cooled
b. The sediments that they contain
c. Erosion
d. Heat and pressure
45. These specimens are at the beginning of the rock cycle, sand is at the end:
a. True
b. False
c. I don’t know
d. All of the above
(A=Biotite, B=Lepidolite, C=Muscovite Micas)
These specimens are a part of what family?
a. Mica
b. Quartz
c. Schist
d. Crystal
These specimens are used as
a. Fuel
b. Jewelry
c. Landscaping
d. Insulation
The cleavage of this specimen is
a. None
b. Perfect
c. Cubic
d. Octahedral
49. Minerals are made up of
a. Elements
b. Artificial chemicals
c. Rocks
d. Sediments
**50. The coloration of specimen A is a result of
a. other minerals within the specimen
b biological materials in the mineral exposed to oxygen as it cools
c. dirt that was trapped during formation.
d. contact with heavy metals such as lead.
(A=Fluorite, B=Kaolinite)
51. Specimen A has economic importance because it is used
a. In wires
b. In concrete
c. As an additive to iron
d. In manufacturing steel
52. Specimen A has a special quality
a. It glows in special conditions
b. It has surgically sharp edges
c. It can burn for a long time
d. It conducts heat and electricity
**53. How can you tell purple Fluorite and Amethyst Quartz apart?
a. Compare the crystal formations
b. Compare the way they fracture
c. Compare the colors
d. Compare the luster
54. The correct order of specific gravity from least to greatest is
A. Kaolinite
B. Copper
C. Lepidolite
D. Pyrite
a. B, C, D, A
b. A, C, D, B
c. C, A, B, D
d. C, B, A, D
(A=Bornite, B=Copper)
Specimen A has economic importance because it is used
a. As an additive in blue paint
b. As a fuel source
c. As a source of copper
d. In the production of steel
Specimen A can be scratched by
a. A knife
b. A penny
c. Glass
d. A and B
e. All of the above
Specimen B has economic importance
a. Because of its ability to conduct heat and electricity
b. Because it is used to make powders
c. Because it is used to make expensive jewelry
d. Because it is used to make tools
Two forms of Specimen B are
a. Fibers
b. Float
c. Dendrytic
d. A and B
e. B and C
When placed in hydrochloric acid, Specimen B will
a. Release carbon dioxide bubbles
b. Turn greenish
c. Do nothing
d. Melt
(A=Hematite, B=Galena)
60. Specimen A has economic importance because it is used
a. To make steel
b. To create wires
c. To insulate electronics
d. To decorate buildings
The red color of specimen A is due to
a. Impurities
b. The temperature at which the crystals formed
c. Oxidation of iron
d. The speed at which the crystals formed
Specimen B has economic importance because it is used
a. Manufacturing steel
b. Making pottery
c. In Crystal radios
d. To make jewelry
e. To make Pencils
When subjected to hydrochloric acid specimen B will
a. Not react
b. Produce a rotten egg odor
c. Disappear
d. Change color
Who developed the hardness scale?
a. James Hutton
b. James Houston
c. Franklin Moh
d. Frederick Moh
(Hexagonal 3-D crystal form )
This crystal model is an example of what mineral?
a. Halite
b. Graphite
c. Copper
d. Biotite Mica
In the rock cycle, erosion can change which type of rocks into sediments
a. Sedimentary
b. Metamorphic
c. Igneous
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Which of the following is also known as Soapstone?
a. Kaolinite
b. Gypsum
c. Calcite
d. Talc
e. Pumice
Which of the following is also known as Dogtooth Crystal?
a. Kaolinite
b. Gypsum
c. Calcite
d. Talc
e. Pumice
(A=Limestone, B=Talc)
Which statement is true about specimen A?
a. It was formed from shells and calcite
b. It will react to hydrochloric acid
c. It is the parent rock of marble
d. All of the above
Which statement is true about specimen B?
a. It has a specific gravity of 1.0
b. It has a specific gravity of 2.58
c. It has a specific gravity of 2.65
d. It has a specific gravity of 4.3
Specific Gravity is
a. The speed at which a mineral will fall to the earth
b. How much a mineral weighs
c. The ratio of air holes to solid material
d. The density of a mineral
How many chemical elements make up over 98% of the earth’s crust?
a. 8
b. 10
c. 20
d. 30
List the following minerals from softest to hardest:
A Quartz Chert
B Bornite
C Talc
D Galena
a. C, D, B, A
b. A, B, C, D
c. C, B, A, D
d. D, A, C, B
(A=Shale, B=Slate)
Specimen A is the result of
a. Wind, water, temperature change
b. Layers of sediment, cemented together over time
c. Molten rock cooling above ground
d. Intense heat and pressure causing a rock to change
e. Molten rock cooling below ground
Specimen A is a known source of
a. Abrasives
b. Oil
c. Acid
d. Cement
Specimen B is made up of
a. Quartz
b. Quartz, Feldspar
c. Mica, Quartz
d. Mica
Specimen B is a result of
a. Wind, water, temperature change
b. Layers of sediment, cemented together over time
c. Molten rock cooling above ground
d. Intense heat and pressure causing a rock to change
e. Molten rock cooling below ground
Specimen B is an example of
a. Low-grade metamorphism
b. Intermediate grade metamorphism
c. High-grade metamorphism
d. Chemical metamorphism
(A=Pyrite, B=Feldspar)
Which is true about specimen A?
a. It is harder than Hematite
b. It is softer than Lepidolite
c. It is harder than Quartz
d. It is softer than Feldspar
Specimen A is used as
a. An insulator
b. As an acid
c. An abrasive
d. Ornamental jewelry
Specimen B has a specific gravity rating of
a. 2.55
b. 5.26
c. 8.9
d. 2.1
Specimen B has a streak that is
a. Colorless
b. Gray
c. White
d. Red
Texas’ State Stone is
a. Halite
b. Sandstone,
c. Petrified Palmwood
d. Granite,