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Rocks & Minerals

Welcome! You’re going to really enjoy lugging your overfilled 2-inch binder everywhere!

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Course content was made from Rocks & Minerals lead faculty, including:
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Rebecca Liebson, undergraduate at Stanford University, national Rocks & Minerals gold medalist from Solon HS Science Olympiad, and rocks test writer at Golden Gate Science Olympiad. Rebecca created ScioVirtual’s Rocks course and supervised the curricula of all ScioVirtual earth science courses.
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Victoria Li, a NJ Science Olympiad state gold medalist in Rocks & Minerals. Victoria has taught Crime Busters and Disease Detectives at ScioVirtual.
  • Overview
  • Terminology
  • Mineral ID
  • Rocks
  • Geology
  • Closing Remarks
Jean teaching rock identification through sharing her personal rock collection in ScioVirtual live Earth Science Fundamentals course.
Jean teaching rock identification through sharing her personal rock collection in ScioVirtual live Earth Science Fundamentals course.

Overview

This event relies heavily on how much work a competitor puts into their binder. No matter how godly you may be at ID, it would be almost impossible, as well as an unnecessary amount of work to memorize the facts for each individual specimen. The specific gravity of Hematite? I have absolutely no idea, but I know exactly where in my binder it’s located.

In addition to ID, competitors should know the vocabulary of both general and more specifically targeted geological terms well. You could write them down in your binder as well, but it’s just faster to know them on the go.

Terminology

There are certain characteristics that are used to identify rocks and minerals —> make sure you know and can use them.

Rocks and Minerals Day 1.pptx
Rocks and Minerals Day 1.pptx

Last modified by Suhani Singh 3 years ago

Terminology
Terminology

Last modified by ScioVirtual 3 years ago

Mineral ID

Beyond learning the words, being able to identify the rocks and minerals from their pictures is crucial. There’s not much of a shortcut to this (unless you have a photographic memory) besides practice.

1/17 Chemical Groups & ID 1
1/17 Chemical Groups & ID 1

Last modified by Michael Kong 3 years ago

1/24 Mineral Uses & ID 2
1/24 Mineral Uses & ID 2

Last modified by ScioVirtual 3 years ago

1/31 Mineral Formation & ID 3
1/31 Mineral Formation & ID 3

Last modified by Amey Amle 5 years ago

2/14 Mineral ID 5, Rocks Intro
2/14 Mineral ID 5, Rocks Intro

Last modified by ScioVirtual 3 years ago

2/7 Mineral  ID 4
2/7 Mineral ID 4

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 5 years ago

A presentation specifically on silicates as these make up the largest group of minerals tested

Rocks and Minerals Day 5.pptx
Rocks and Minerals Day 5.pptx

Last modified by Suhani Singh 3 years ago

And here’s some practice with answers!

ID 3 Challenge
ID 3 Challenge

Last modified by ScioVirtual 3 years ago

1/10 Intro R&M Properties Answers
1/10 Intro R&M Properties Answers

Last modified by Michael Kong 5 years ago

ID 3 Answers
ID 3 Answers

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 5 years ago

1/10 Intro R&M Properties
1/10 Intro R&M Properties

Last modified by Michael Kong 5 years ago

Rocks

Most people prefer mineral ID cause ooohhh shiny! But knowing your rocks is just as important; they’re also harder to ID.

2/28 Metamorphic Rocks
2/28 Metamorphic Rocks

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 5 years ago

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 4 years ago

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 5 years ago

Metamorphic Rocks HW
Metamorphic Rocks HW

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 4 years ago

And finally, an extended ID practice with an answer key

ID Contest 1
ID Contest 1

Last modified by ScioVirtual 3 years ago

ID Contest 1 Answers
ID Contest 1 Answers

Last modified by Rebecca Liebson 5 years ago

Geology

I will be completely honest, being better at ID will almost always get you more points than knowing your geological principles well. So if you for some reason find yourself low on preparation time, focus more on ID and having a good binder.

Bowen’s Reaction Series

This and the rock cycle are two things that you should absolutely know no matter what. Luckily there are great videos and articles online. Pay special attention to the different categories of metamorphic and igneous rock formed and their composition.

Some other things that’ll be helpful to know include the types of metamorphism, types of of twinning, and the different charts to more specifically classify rocks based on composition.

Rocks and Minerals Day 4.pptx
Rocks and Minerals Day 4.pptx

Last modified by Suhani Singh 3 years ago

Closing Remarks

And that’s it! These are some great resources to start off with for those that are just getting into the event, or maybe you want to hone your ID skills and geo knowledge. Be sure to make a thorough and usable binder then all you have to do is practice, practice, practice. Good luck!

Rocks & *Minerals*

Last modified by undefined 2 years ago