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    • Unit 1: Beginning Chemistry >
      • Lesson 1: The Atom >
        • What is an Atom?
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      • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding >
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      • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals >
        • Rocks and Minerals
      • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting >
        • Differentiation
        • Deposition of Sediment
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        • What is Life?
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        • What are Cells?
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      • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport >
        • A Special Environment
        • The Structure of Membranes
        • Membrane Transport
      • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration >
        • Energy in Biology
        • Energy Diagrams
        • Glycolysis and Anaerobic Respiration
        • Aerobic Cellular Respiration
      • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis >
        • Plants Get Energy From The Sun
        • Photosynthesis Process
        • Energy, Ecosystems, and the Environment
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        • Anatomy Of The Musculoskeletal System
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        • The Respiratory System
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        • The Digestive System
        • Nutrition
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        • The Excretory System
      • Lesson 31: The Immune System >
        • Disease and Infection
        • Immunity
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
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    • Unit 1 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 1: Atoms
        • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding
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        • Lesson 4: Molecular Models
        • Lesson 5: States of Matter
        • Lesson 6: Density
        • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics
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      • Unit 1: Project
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        • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance
        • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth
        • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics
        • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals
        • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting
        • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere
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        • Lesson 16: Life
        • Lesson 17: Biochemsitry
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        • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport
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        • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis
      • Unit 3: Project
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    • Unit 4 >
      • EIS >
        • 22: The Human Body
        • 23: The Nervous System
        • 24: The Endocrine System
        • 25: The Integumentary System
        • 26: The Musculoskeletal System
        • 27: The Cardiovascular System
        • 28: The Respiratory System
        • 29: The Digestive System
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        • 31: The Immune System
      • Unit 4 Project
      • Unit 4 Exam Review
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    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Classroom
    • Resources >
      • Study Skills
      • Periodic Table
      • Common Ion Sheet
      • The Scientific Method
      • Doing Background Research
    • Introduction and Course Philosophy
    • Unit 1: Beginning Chemistry >
      • Lesson 1: The Atom >
        • What is an Atom?
        • The Structure of Atoms
        • The Periodic Table
        • Modeling Atoms
      • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding >
        • Why Do Atoms Form Bonds?
        • Ionic Bonding
        • Covalent Bonding
        • Intermolecular Attraction
      • Lesson 3: Chemical Nomenclature >
        • Octet Rule
        • Ionic Compounds
        • Covalent Molecules
      • Lesson 4: Molecular Molecules >
        • Modeling Ionic Compounds
        • Modeling Covalent Molecules
      • Lesson 5: States of Matter >
        • States of Matter
        • Phase Changes
      • Lesson 6: Density >
        • What is Density?
        • Calculating Density
      • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics >
        • Temperature
        • Heat
        • Gas Laws
      • Lesson 8: Solution Chemistry >
        • Diffusion
        • Solutions and Molarity
        • Semi-Permeable Membranes
      • Lesson 9: Thermal Expansion >
        • Thermal Expansion
    • Unit 2: Earth Science >
      • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance >
        • Perspective
        • Maps
      • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth >
        • Layers of the Earth
      • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics >
        • Plate Tectonics
      • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals >
        • Rocks and Minerals
      • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting >
        • Differentiation
        • Deposition of Sediment
      • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere >
        • Composition of the Atmosphere
        • Layers of the Atmosphere
        • Change Over Time
        • Atmospheric Disruption
    • Unit 3: The Cell >
      • Lesson 16: Life >
        • What is Life?
        • Structural Hierarchy of Living Things
      • Lesson 17: Biochemistry >
        • Intro to Biochemistry
        • Water
        • Micromolecules
        • Energy, Carbohydrates, Lipids
        • Protein and Nucleic Acid
      • Lesson 18: Cells >
        • What are Cells?
        • Microscopy
        • Plant and Animal Cells
      • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport >
        • A Special Environment
        • The Structure of Membranes
        • Membrane Transport
      • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration >
        • Energy in Biology
        • Energy Diagrams
        • Glycolysis and Anaerobic Respiration
        • Aerobic Cellular Respiration
      • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis >
        • Plants Get Energy From The Sun
        • Photosynthesis Process
        • Energy, Ecosystems, and the Environment
    • Unit 4: Anatomy and Physiology >
      • Lesson 22: The Human Body >
        • What Are Bodies Made Of?
        • What Do Bodies Do?
      • Lesson 23: The Nervous System >
        • The Nervous System
        • Neuronal Communication
        • The Central Nervous System
      • Lesson 24: The Endocrine System >
        • The Endocrine System
        • Hormones
        • Hormones, Puberty, and Reproduction
      • Lesson 25: The Integumentary System >
        • The Integumentary System
      • Lesson 26: The Musculoskeletal System >
        • The Skeletal System
        • The Muscular System
        • Anatomy Of The Musculoskeletal System
      • Lesson 27: The Cardiovascular System >
        • Blood and Blood Vessels
        • The Heart
      • Lesson 28: The Respiratory System >
        • The Respiratory System
      • Lesson 29: The Digestive System >
        • The Digestive System
        • Nutrition
      • Lesson 30: The Excretory System >
        • The Excretory System
      • Lesson 31: The Immune System >
        • Disease and Infection
        • Immunity
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
  • Workbench
    • Unit 1 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 1: Atoms
        • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding
        • Lesson 3: Chemical Nomenclature
        • Lesson 4: Molecular Models
        • Lesson 5: States of Matter
        • Lesson 6: Density
        • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics
        • Lesson 8: Solution Chemistry
        • Lesson 9: Thermal Expansion
      • Unit 1: Project
      • Unit 1: Exam Review
      • Unit 1: Exam
    • Unit 2 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance
        • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth
        • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics
        • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals
        • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting
        • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere
      • Unit 2: Project
      • Unit 2: Exam Review
      • Unit 2: Exam
    • Unit 3 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 16: Life
        • Lesson 17: Biochemsitry
        • Lesson 18: Cells
        • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport
        • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration
        • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis
      • Unit 3: Project
      • Unit 3: Exam Review
      • Unit 3: Exam
    • Unit 4 >
      • EIS >
        • 22: The Human Body
        • 23: The Nervous System
        • 24: The Endocrine System
        • 25: The Integumentary System
        • 26: The Musculoskeletal System
        • 27: The Cardiovascular System
        • 28: The Respiratory System
        • 29: The Digestive System
        • 30: The Excretory System
        • 31: The Immune System
      • Unit 4 Project
      • Unit 4 Exam Review
      • Unit 4 Exam
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
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EIS 13: Classifying Rocks and Minerals

Materials

  • You may find a magnifying glass or strong pair of reading glasses to be useful, but this is not necessary.
  • You will need to find rocks around your house, neighborhood, and/or nearest park.​

Procedure

The ability to classify objects, regardless of what they are, is an important skill that will teach you keen observational skills. This activity will be all about classifying rocks.

First, familiarize yourself with the differences in appearance for igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, as well as minerals.
​

Minerals do not have chunks or crystals: they are the crystal. They have a uniform appearance throughout, and have an organized structure, which may be crystalline. Some examples are shown below.
Picture
Sedimentary rock will usually have large chunks of other rocks or minerals that makes it very easy to spot, as seen in the photo below. They may have soft, crumbly layers, but not always. Sedimentary rock without large chunks will be very soft and easily scratched with your fingernail.
Picture
Sedimentary rock with chunks
Picture
Sedimentary rocks without chunks; very soft and easily scratched
Igneous rock has two main types that you will notice. The first cools quickly and is very smooth (like obsidian, shown below). The second cools slowly and will have visible bubbles or gaps due to trapped air in the rock (like pumice, shown below). Even if there are gaps, the rock will be very hard and not scratch easily. Igneous rock will never have layers, so if your rock does have layers, you know it’s either sedimentary or metamorphic.
Picture
Obsidian
Picture
Pumice
Metamorphic rocks are most easily distinguished when they have a recognizable banding pattern, which are layers that tend to be tight, bent, and distorted, as shown below. Not all metamorphic rocks have banding, though. In that case, it’s easiest to rule out that the rock is either sedimentary or igneous.

​Metamorphic rocks will have small crystals, which you can see with a magnifying glass but not with your naked eye. They will not have large bits, so if you see large chunks you know it is sedimentary. They will also be hard and not scratch like sedimentary rocks would.

​There are more advanced classification methods that help to distinguish between igneous and metamorphic rock with greater accuracy, but these are not easily done without a lab. So, for this class you can assume that if a rock doesn’t look like pumice or obsidian and isn’t sedimentary, it’s probably metamorphic.
Picture
Metamorphic rock with banding
If you would like to see more examples of these rock types, you can explore this website.

Once you’re familiar with these general rules for classifying rocks, go find some! Look around your yard, neighborhood, nearest park, or house. Find and classify at least 5 different rocks. Try to find a sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock, but don’t worry too much if you can’t find one of each of these near you: that type might not be common where you live.

If you find any particularly cool rocks, we want to see them! If you have an Instagram and the permission of your relevant responsible adult, share a photo or video with us  @eons_learning, #RocksEons.


Image sources: (1) Brocken Inaglory, © 2007; (2) James St. John © 2014, (3) James St. John © 2015, (4) Brocken Inaglory, © 2006, (5) benjamint444 © 2009; (6) Siim Sepp © 2005​
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