Download Find a Rock Project: Formation

Name: _________________________
Class Period: _______ Date: _______
Find a Rock Project: Formation
Directions: Use the chart on the back of this paper to help you determine the rock
formation (sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic) and where your rock first formed
(a river, beach, volcano, between tectonic plates, under layers of rocks, etc.)
1. Is your rock a sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rock?
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2. What clues about the appearance of your rock helped you make your
decision for #1?
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3. Now that you know the formation (sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic),
let’s get more specific. Find your rock formation below. Circle the ONE
rock TYPE that you think best describes your rock.
Sedimentary rock types:
Igneous rock types:
Metamorphic rock types:
Clastic
Intrusive
Foliated
Chemical
Extrusive
Non-foliated
Organic
4. Imagine the environment when your rock FIRST FORMED. Describe what
you think may have been around when your rock was formed. (Feel free to
use the chart on the back of this paper for ideas about where different rock types form)
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5. You will begin writing a birth story, poem or song telling about the “birth”
of your rock. Spend some time brainstorming how to write this story on a
sheet of notebook paper. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Were any of these things nearby?
Water, fire, hot lava, smoke, rushing streams, stinky swamps, heavy layers
of rocks above, grainy sand, wind, mountains