Rock'n+Riddles

= See if you can figure out the answers to the clues below. Post your answers for all of us to see! Enjoy ! - Love, Mrs. Morin  = =    = = =

In order to be considered a rock, it must be composed of two or more of these ingredients.
Answer: Minerals (David 104) Room 309 agrees!

Mrs. Salvatore made mock rocks for her class. She wasn't sure if she remembered to include salt. What can Mrs. Salvatore do to find out if she included salt? Answer: Break it, put it in the petri dish with water to see what ingredients are in it. We'll see little sqaure crystals with little x's in them. Those are salt crystals. (104) First I would observe it with a hand lens. Then I would break it into pieces and mix it with water and pour it into an evaporating dish. After a few days, check to see if there are tiny crystals in the dish (kosher salt). Room 309-Alejandro, Sandra, Daniel, Jahira, Danielle and Kelly.

When a rock breaks into smaller pieces, are the pieces rocks or are they minerals? Answer: ROCKS!! (104 - Mrs. Morin ROCKS!!!!) Room 309 says it could be either. If it doesn't break down any further, it must be a mineral!

If a mineral "a" can be scratched by a paperclip but not a penny or fingernail, is it harder than mineral "b" which can be scratched by all three tools? Explain your answer.
Answer: Yes because all three tools can scratch mineral b. That means mineral b is softer than mineral a that can only be scratched by just the paper clip. (David, Tyquasia, Isaias, Kyaralee, Rocio 104) ==== Ms. Davis found a brown mineral and a black mineral while on vacation over the summer. How can she test them for hardness using only the two minerals - no tools? How will she know which one is harder? ====

==== Mrs. Pariseau found a pretty stone in the park near her home. She wasn't sure if it was a rock or a mineral, so she took it home to try some tests. Here is some information she wrote in her Scientist's Notebook: ====

5. When I test it with vinegar, only the white parts fizz.
====//Is the stone Mrs. Pariseau found a rock or is it a mineral? It is a rock because it got scratched, and it fizzed so it has clacite in it.The black might be mica. The black and brown pieces were different hardness levels. (104)//====

2,3,5 all help decide if the stone is a rock or mineral.
Color helps because if you know what some look like, you'll have an idea what it is. Color is a property of a rocks and minerals. Softness and Hardness helps you figure out the name of the mineral. White parts fizzing tell you there's calcite in it.