Mineral testing

Introduction:
Rocks may be made up of one kind of chemical, or a mixture of chemical types. The different chemical types are called minerals.
Minerals have different properties. To help identify a rock, geologists look at the minerals in it.
There are several mineral tests.

Make stations of different mineral tests for students to move through:
Two or three stations with hardness/streak - test to identify minerals
One carbonate acid test station - test carbonate and non-carbonate minerals/rocks/shells in vinegar
One crystal shape station - magnifers and microscope to look closely and find crystal shapes
One lustre station - sort unlabelled minerals by lustre

Review:
Moving through the rock cycle, minerals are separated, mixed together in new ways, chemically changed to make new minerals, endlessly separating and grouping to make all the different rocks.
How they are separated: some melt at a higher temperature than another, some layer out more easily under metamorphic pressures, during erosion heavier minerals settle out faster, and other ways.

Geologists use the tests to find out what minerals are in a rock they find.
By mapping where different rock types lie, and the bands they form, geologists can:
- piece together how the Earth’s crust was formed and how mountains were made
- read the tectonic plates still moving and predict where earthquakes and landslides may occur
- figure out the evolution of life, through which rocks fossils are found in
- analyze how the atmosphere has changed over geological time, to help understand climate change
- find the best places for geothermal energy
- locate rocks that we need for metals and other natural resources (including fossil fuels)

Optional:
Look at the chemical formula of the minerals, which shows what atoms are in it.
Which minerals might be used for making copper wires? (copper=Cu)
Which minerals might be extracted for iron, to make steel? (iron=Fe)

The chemistry of a carbonate mineral is CO3. Carbonate rocks can be made from living things. Show limestone forming from shells.