MCG&LS Science Olympiad Rockhound Class

Paul Randazzo

Class outline created by Richard Brzozowski &

Ron Rolfe

first uploaded 2015

Formation of our Solar System

Goldilocks Zone

Earth’s interior

How do we know?

Deepest mine in the Crust•Tau Tona Gold mine•South Africa•2.4 Miles deep•Rock faces 140 Degrees F

Plate Tectonics

Plate Map

•There are Mountains and Volcanoes on the Red Convergent boundaries•There are Trenches and new crust formation on the Blue Divergent boundaries

Volcanoes

Magma TypesGranitic=Felsic Andesitic=Intermediate Basaltic=Mafic

•Quartz -always•Light Colored Feldspars •Muscovite Mica -usually

•Dark Colored Feldspars•Biotite Mica•Very little or no Quartz

•Has some features of both types

Intrusive and Extrusive Rocks

Visible Crystals in Igneous Rocks

The amount and size of crystals tell how quickly it cooled

•When a rock has Large crystals it cooled Slowly•This texture is called Phaneritic

•When a rock has Small crystals it cooled Quickly•This texture is called Aphanitic

Bubbles in Extrusive Rocks• The amount and size

of holes in a rock tell about it’s consistency when it was liquid rock, and how much gas was trapped

• When a rock has bubbles it’s texture is called Vesicular

Igneous Rocks

• Basalt• Scoria• Pumice• Obsidian• Granite

Special for 2015• Diorite• Gabbro• Rhyolite

Basalt 6B• Extrusive• Mafic• No to few Vesicles• Aphanitic texture

Scoria 10B• Extrusive• Mafic• Many Vesicles• Aphanitic texture

Pumice 9B• Extrusive• Felsic• Many Vesicles• Aphanitic texture

Obsidian 8B• Extrusive• Intermediate-Felsic• Few-No Vesicles• Aphanitic Glassy

texture

Granite 7B• Intrusive• Felsic• No Vesicles• Phaneritic texture

Diorite• Intrusive• Intermediate felsic/

mafic• No Vesicles• Phaneritic texture

Gabbro• Intrusive• Mafic• No Vesicles• Phaneritic texture

Rhyolite• Extrusive• Felsic• No to few Vesicles• Aphanitic texture

(Mostly)