Rock Cycle

OBJECTIVES:

Analyzing playground sand.

Determining the mother rock of playground sand.

VOCABULARY:

Roundness

Size

Igneous

Sedimentary

Metamorphic

MATERIALS: playground sand

PROCEDURES:

Ask students to bring a sample (teaspoon) of sand from home or a neighborhood sandbox, if available. You may want to use the playground sand at your school, if available.

Most commercial sand is derived from a granitic source, so it should be light in color with a lot of quartz and feldspar. The granitic sand that is marketed is usually well sorted, because this way no "dirt" sized particles are present.

Have the students compare their sand with the sand they looked at in lab. Have them predict the mother rock. Remember that the ability to determine the origin or mother rock from which the sand derived is a much more sophisticated and beneficial process than knowing or being told the actual mother rock. This exercise will allow the students to put their observational skills together with their newfound knowledge, to solve a new problem.

If you know of where the sand is mined tell students. You may want to discuss the importance of sand and gravel industry to this country. Have students imagine a world without concrete. Sand and gravel is an essential ingredient to concrete, without it, you can not make a building. There are many countries in this world that do not have this natural resource. You may want students to write an essay on the importance of sand. You can get information from your state's division of mines and/or geology for specific information about your state. You can also consult encyclopedias or any other reference material on mining.

http://nesen.unl.edu/activities/geology/rockcycle.html