Mineral Mashup Slides Mineral Mashup
Earth Materials Investigation 1
Identifying Earth's Building Blocks
What is a Mineral?
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and structure.
Naturally made (Not by humans)
Solid (Not liquid or gas)
Inorganic (Never alive)
Minerals are the ingredients that make up rocks!
Property: Color
The First Look
Color is the most obvious property, but it can be misleading!
"Quartz can be pink, purple, white, or clear. Gold and Pyrite (Fool's Gold) look the same color!"
Image: Different colors of Quartz
Image: Gold vs. Pyrite
Property: Luster
Luster describes how light reflects off the surface of a mineral.
Metallic: Shiny like a new coin or piece of metal.
Non-Metallic: Dull, glassy, pearly, or waxy.
Think of it as the "Shine Factor"!
Property: Hardness
Hardness is the measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched.
The Mohs Scale (1-10)
1 Talc
3 Calcite
7 Quartz
10 Diamond
"If the mineral can scratch a copper penny (3), it is harder than a 3!"
Property: Streak
The Streak Plate
Streak is the color of a mineral in its powdered form.
Rub the mineral across a white ceramic plate.
The streak is ALWAYS the same color, even if the mineral piece looks different!
Property: Cleavage & Fracture
Cleavage
Breaks along flat, smooth surfaces. It splits like a deck of cards.
Example: Mica, Halite
Fracture
Breaks into irregular, jagged pieces. It looks like broken glass.
Example: Quartz, Obsidian
"Think: Smooth Split vs. Rough Break!"
Lab Investigation
Time to be Mineral Detectives!
1
Collect your 4 mystery samples.
2
Test each property on your data sheet.
3
Use the Mineral Key to identify them!
Mineral Properties Lab Worksheet Mineral Mysteries
Investigation 1: Property Lab
Name:
Date:
Field Notes
Geologists use specific physical properties to identify minerals. In this lab, you will test 4 mystery samples. Record your findings in the data table below, then use your Mineral Key to identify each sample.
Sample # Color Luster Hardness (1-10) Streak Color Break Type 1 2 3 4
Identification
Sample 1:
Sample 2:
Sample 3:
Sample 4:
Conclusion Question
Which property was the most helpful for identifying your minerals? Why?
Luster Tip
Is it metallic (like a penny) or non-metallic (dull/glassy)?
Hardness Tip
Can it be scratched by your fingernail (2.5) or a penny (3.5)?
Streak Tip
The streak is the color of the powder on the ceramic plate.
Rock Solid Slides Rock Solid
Earth Materials Investigation 2
Classifying Earth's Solid Crust
What is a Rock?
A rock is a solid mass made of one or more minerals mixed together.
"Think of minerals as the ingredients (flour, sugar, chocolate chips) and a rock as the finished cookie!"
Rock = Mineral Mixture
The Three Main Groups
Igneous
"Born from Fire"
Formed when molten rock (magma or lava) cools and hardens.
Sedimentary
"Born from Layers"
Formed from bits of rock and sand pressed together over millions of years.
Metamorphic
"Born from Change"
Formed when heat and pressure change existing rocks into something new.
Igneous: The Fire Rocks
How they form:
Melted rock (magma) cools down and becomes solid.
Key Features:
Crystals (randomly arranged)
Air bubbles (sometimes)
Glassy surface (if cooled very fast)
Granite
Large crystals
Obsidian
Glassy texture
Pumice
Full of holes
Basalt
Tiny crystals
Sedimentary: The History Rocks
Sandstone
Sandy grains
Limestone
Fossil pieces
Shale
Thin layers
Conglomerate
Pebbles & Cement
How they form:
Bits of sand, mud, and shells pile up and get squashed into stone.
Key Features:
Clear layers (like a cake)
Often contain Fossils
Gritty or earthy feel
Metamorphic: The Shape-Shifters
How they form:
Extreme heat and pressure "bake" and "squeeze" a rock until it changes.
Transformation Station:
Limestone Marble
Shale Slate
Granite Gneiss
Marble
Swirly colors
Slate
Very flat layers
Gneiss
Wavy bands
Quartzite
Dense & sugary
Rock Detectives
Look closely at your samples. Use the clues (layers, crystals, fossils, textures) to decide which group they belong to!
Cycle Shift Slides Cycle Shift
Earth Materials Investigation 3
Earth's Great Recycling Program
The Big Idea
Rocks don't stay the same forever. They are constantly changing from one type to another!
It's a Journey!
A single grain of sand might have been a mountain, a riverbed, and a volcano at different times in its life.
Billions of Years in the Making
Step 1: Break & Move
Weathering
Process of breaking down rocks into smaller bits called sediment.
Causes: Ice, rain, wind, roots.
Erosion
Process of moving sediment from one place to another.
Causes: Water, wind, gravity, glaciers.
Step 2: Settle & Squash
1
Deposition
Sediment settles down in layers at the bottom of oceans or lakes.
2
Compaction & Cementation
The weight of layers above squeezes the bottom layers together until they turn to rock.
Step 3: Melt & Cool
Deep underground, it's hot enough to melt rock back into liquid magma.
THE IGNEOUS TURN:
When that magma rises and cools, it hardens into brand new Igneous Rock.
"The Cycle Begins Again!"
The Rock Cycle
SEDIMENTARY
IGNEOUS
METAMORPHIC
HEAT & PRESSURE
WEATHERING
Melting Cooling
Think Like a Geologist
Is it possible for a metamorphic rock to turn into a sedimentary rock? How?
"If a metamorphic rock is pushed to the surface, it will weather into sediment, settle in the ocean, and eventually be squashed into a sedimentary rock!"
Rock Cycle Story Activity Cycle Stories
The Life of a Traveling Rock
Name:
Date:
The Great Journey
Imagine you are a tiny piece of mineral. Your journey never ends! Over millions of years, you will change from one rock type to another. Create a 4-panel comic strip showing your journey through the rock cycle.
1 Starting Type: _______________
Caption:
2 The Process: _______________
Caption:
3 Next Type: _______________
Caption:
4 The Final Shift: _______________
Caption:
Geologist's Word Bank
Use these words in your captions!
Weathering Pressure Melting Sediment Magma Erosion
Dirty Business Slides Dirty Business
Earth Materials Investigation 4
Digging Into Earth's Skin
Soil: It's Alive!
Soil is a mixture of weathered rock and organic matter.
The Main Ingredients:
Bits of Rock (sand, silt, clay)
Humus (dead plants & animals)
Water & Air
🪨
🪱
Soil isn't just "dirt"—it's a living ecosystem!
The Three Sizes
粒
Sand
Large grains. Feels gritty. Water drains through quickly.
🌾
Silt
Medium grains. Feels like flour. Holds some water.
🧱
Clay
Tiny grains. Feels sticky. Water drains very slowly.
"Loam is a perfect mix of all three—perfect for growing plants!"
Soil Layers (Horizons)
O: Organic (Grass & Leaves)
A: Topsoil (Dark & Rich)
B: Subsoil (Lighter & Clay-y)
C: Parent Material (Weathered Rock)
R: Bedrock (Solid Rock)
The O & A Horizons:
This is where most plants grow and where bugs live!
The R Horizon:
This is the "Parent"—it's the solid rock that eventually breaks down to make soil.
The Soil Crew
Decomposers break down dead things to make humus, which adds nutrients to the soil.
Earthworms
Bacteria
Fungi
Insects
"Worms act like tiny plows, creating tunnels that let air and water reach plant roots!"
Save Our Soil!
Erosion Threat
Wind and water can wash away topsoil in an instant, but it takes HUNDREDS OF YEARS for just one inch of soil to form naturally.
Plant roots hold soil in place.
Good farming practices help.
Rocks act as natural barriers.
Time to Dig In
We're going to examine different soil samples. Can you identify the organic matter? Can you feel the difference between sand and clay?
LAB TIME!
