Rocks and their formations



The big question/idea: Rocks and their formation

Description of what you did in the lab: 

In the lab, we used starbursts to create different types of rock formations. We had a small torch which we used to melt some of the starbursts together and then placed them in cold water to cool it to create an igneous rock. We also smushed some together without heat to create sedimentary rock. The last kind of rock formation we made was a metamorphic rock which used some heat (not enough to melt) and then used pressure. 

A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture.

We learned about plate tectonics. They are located in the Earth's mantle. There is a thicker plate which is the continental and a thinner plate that is known as the oceanic plate which is denser also. When they collide with each other the oceanic plate goes under the continental plate and forms a trench. If a continental hits a continental mountains are formed. We also learned about the rock cycle. There are three kinds of rocks igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Rocks all come from magma. The first rock was igneous. Three things could happen from this, it could melt and become magma again, and it could break down into smaller pieces due to weathering which is sedimentary, or it could be pushed down into the earth enough to get warm and pressured by the weight of the earth making a metamorphic rock. 

Answer questions about the weekly textbook reading:

-What did you learn?

I learned about volcanos and how they are formed. There are 3 different ways they can be formed: converging tectonic plates, diverging tectonic plates, or over a hot spot. 

-What was most helpful?

Something helpful was the convergent and divergent plates. I may have heard about these when I was younger but I did not remember them, so it was a good reminder. Convergent plates are when two continental plates collide, when two oceanic plates collide, or when a continental and oceanic plate collide, or in other words when the plates are moving towards each other. Divergent plates are moving away from one another

-What do you need more information on?

Something I need more information on is when the plates are convergent or divergent. I know what they are but am unsure when each one occurs. 

What questions/concerns/comments do you have?

Something I am wondering is after the collision of two plates how long does it take for a trench or a mountain to be formed? 

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