Photos of all the stations with samples are found in the google drive shared folder
Station 1
What is the correct name of the predominant sedimentary structure displayed on the top of this sample? (1 pt)
What was the water motion when the sediments were deposited? (e.g. waves moving back and forth; or current flowing in direction from A to B or from B to D or from A to C, etc.) (2 pt)
Explain how you can tell what water motion was (be specific). (2 pt)
Station 2
What is the name and chemical composition of each of these 2 non-silicate minerals? (4 pt)
How can you tell the minerals apart from each other just by looking at the samples without performing any other physical property tests (be specific)? (1 pt)
What is the general name of mineral property you used to tell them apart? (1 pt)
Place sample B over the line below.
Look at the line through the sample as you slowly turn the sample.
The “line below”:______
What is the name of the optical property of this mineral that you observed as you turned the sample? (1 pt)
Station 3
Name and place the 4 metamorphic rocks in this sample set in order from lowest grade to highest grade of metamorphism (one sample is not metamorphic).
Include both the sample letter and rock name.
(6 pt)
The 4 metamorphic rocks share the same metamorphic texture. What is this texture called? (1 pt)
*What causes this metamorphic texture? (2 pt)
Station 4
Identify the 4 samples in this set that are minerals.
Include sample Letter and Mineral Name (4 pt)
The sample without a label is “E”
Besides metallic luster, the 4 minerals have something else in common. What is it? (1 pt)
Station 5
One of these minerals does not belong with the others.
Which one? (give letter and name) (3 pt)
Explain why it doesn’t belong with the others (2 pt)
Note – if your explanation doesn’t fit your answer for which one doesn’t belong, it will be considered a lucky guess and only receive 1 of the 3 points.
Station 6
Identify and put the 4 sedimentary rock samples in this set in order from highest energy environment of deposition to lowest energy.
Include sample Letter and Rock Name
(6 pt)
Explain how you could determine the order. (2 pt)
Station 7
Name and match the appropriate sample from the set to the geologic (tectonic) location (X, Y, or Z) in the figure below where it was most likely formed.
Provide sample letter with rock or mineral name in your answer.
(6 pt)
Station 8
Name the igneous rocks in this set and put them in order of where
they cooled and solidified (crystallized)- from nearest earth’s surface to deepest in crust. (6 pt)
Use the number of blanks on the answer sheet that are necessary for the samples that are actually igneous rocks.
Station 9
Identify by name and letter the 2 samples in this set that are metamorphic rocks. (2 pt)
Match the letter and give the name of the other samples of rock types that would be the parent rock of each metamorphic rock.
Choose the letter of all the possible parent rocks that apply to each sample, but only those that apply. (2 pt)
Note – the samples don’t contain the exact parent rock of the individual metamorphic samples, just the rock types that would be parent rocks to the metamorphic rock samples, so colors may vary. Remember, it’s usually a bad idea to trust only color in rock and mineral identification.
What is the metamorphic texture term that the 2 metamorphic rocks have in common? (1 pt)
Station 10
Name and put the 3 samples that are intrusive igneous rocks in order from most mafic to most felsic.
Give sample letter and rock name. (4 pt)
Give the name of the chemically equivalent extrusive rockfor each of the intrusive rocks in the sample set.
(3 pt)
Station 11
These rock samples have small, reddish, round “nuggets.”
What mineral are these small “nuggets”? (2 pt)
What mineral class do the “nuggets” belong to? (1 pt)
What type/grade of metamorphism from the list below does this mineral indicate? (2 pt)
contact metamorphism
low grade regional (500-700 oF) = greenschist facies
medium grade regional (800-1000 oF) = amphibolite facies
high grade regional (1000-1200 oF) = granulite facies
very high grade ecologite facies
*Explain how onecan determine metamorphic grade based on this mineral. (2 pt)
Station 12
These mineral samples are both sulfates.
Sample A has a mass of 36 grams in air and an apparent mass of28 grams when it is suspended in water.
Based on the above info, what is the specific gravity of sample A?
Show your math work on answer sheet.
(2 pt)
Name both minerals and give their chemical composition. (4 pt)
Station 13
Give the name and chemical composition of each of these samples.
Sample B will fizz if HCl (hydrochloric acid) is dropped on it.
For each sample also provide the following:
Mineral Class (silicate, sulfate, oxide, etc.)
Crystal System
The mineral name of its best known polymorph
The Crystal System of its polymorph
(7 pt)
*What is produced by the chemical reaction between Sample B and HCl (hydrochloric acid)to cause the “fizzing”? (1 pt)
Station 14
The samples in this set are all part of Bowen’s Reaction Series.
Name the samplesin order from lowest temperature of crystallization (last to form as magma cools) to highest temperature of crystallization (first to form as magma cools). (7 pt)
Who is this crystallization sequence named after? (1 pt)
Station 15
Give the name of these 2 minerals. (hint – one sample is not a silicate)
(2 pt)
Certain varieties of each of these mineral are gemstones.
From the list below, provide the gemstone name with the mineral of the gemstone:
Amethyst Aquamarine Citrine Diamond Emerald
Garnet Opal Ruby Sapphire Topaz
(4 pt)
Mineral B gets its name from what periodic table element? (1 pt)
*Different gemstones of the same mineral can have very different colors. Explain what causes the different colors in gemstone varieties from the same mineral. (2 pt)
Station 16
TheseMinnesota samples were found in a gravel pit in south-central Minnesota.
What mineral is it? (1 pt)
This mineral does not form naturally in south-central Minnesota. How did the samples get to the gravel pit there? (2 pt)
Refer to the MN bedrock geologic map in your answer packet.
Put a bold “x” on the map in all the mapped rock locations that this mineralwould have formed naturally in what is now Minnesota.
(2 pt)
*Explain how and inside what other rock type the mineral formed, and what causes its color variations.
Be as specific as possible.
(2 pt)
Note – in event of a tie remaining after the other tie-breakers are considered, the quality and thoroughness of this answer will be evaluated to break the tie.