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Title
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Locating Rocks and Minerals
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Type
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Primary: Field Assignment
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Operation
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Tectonic Fury
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Mission:
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Mission 1: The Building Blocks
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Print Page
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32,33
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Subjects
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Science | Earth and space science | Earth materials | Minerals | Rocks | Science as inquiry | Science process skills | Analyzing data | Classifying | Collecting data | Communicating | Interpreting data | Measuring | Modeling | Observing | Predicting | Scientific habits of mind | Using mathematics | Using scientific equipment | Using technology
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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Dr. Mike Wise, mineral, rock, identification, pegmatite, commercial use, economics, mining, Sebago Lake, Maine, geochemical data, tantalum, field collection, analysis, data, model, map, bedrock, graph, scatter plot, geology
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Duration
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02:15:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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5/7/2010
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Copyright
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Peter Haydock/The JASON Project
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From: Tectonic Fury Mission 1: The Building Blocks (pp: 32,33) |
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Locating Rocks and Minerals In this culminating field assignment, students will interpret data to identify areas where
specific mineral-containing rocks may have formed. To begin, they will analyze Dr. Wise’s geochemical data collected from rocks around Sebago Lake in Maine to determine the concentration levels of the element tantalum in different areas. From this analysis, they will determine areas which contain high enough concentrations of tantalum for practical mining. Once they have completed the analysis of Sebago Lake, they will analyze their local geology. Using maps and samples collected in the field, they will develop a model of locations in their area which are economically practical for collecting commercially valuable rocks.
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Recall that your mission is to search for and discover invaluable rocks and prized minerals hidden deep under our feet. Now that you are fully briefed, it is time to interpret data to identify areas where specific mineral-containing rocks may have formed.
Mike Wise is interested in pegmatites rich in minerals with commercial value. But not all pegmatites contain high levels of these minerals. So, Dr. Wise is trying to better understand the geologic environments which produce pegmatites with high levels of these specific minerals. By understanding these processes, Mike can identify areas of the world where it would be economically practical to mine these rocks.
Once Dr. Wise identifies an area containing pegmatites with large, accessible, highly concentrated minerals, he studies the geologic changes that may have caused them to form in the first place. This research is continuing to uncover the geologic changes that may indicate the presence of pegmatites rich in commercially valuable minerals in other areas of the world.
To begin this assignment, you will analyze Dr. Wise’s geochemical data collected from rocks around Sebago Lake in Maine to determine the concentration levels of the element tantalum in different areas. From this analysis, you will determine areas which contain high enough concentrations of tantalum for practical mining. Once you have completed the analysis of Sebago Lake, you will analyze your local geology. Using maps and samples collected in the field, you will develop a model of locations in your area which are economically practical for collecting commercially valuable rocks.
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Caution!
You must have the landowner’s permission to access any land in your study. Even if your study site is on public land, inform the proper authorities of your intent. Obtain permission before collecting samples at your study sites. Never travel alone. Take a responsible adult with you to your study site. |
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| Materials |
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- hand lens
- computer with Internet access
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| Field Prep |
- Analyze the map of major pegmatite fields in the United States and Canada in your data sheet. Identify states, provinces, or areas of the countries that have higher amounts of pegmatites. Determine if there are any pegmatite fields in your local region.
- Analyze the topographic and bedrock maps of these two countries in the data sheet. Describe the topography and rock types in and around the pegmatite fields you identified in Step 1. Explain any relationships you see between the location of pegmatite fields, bedrock type, and topography.
- Locate the Sebago Lake pegmatite field on the state map of Maine in the data sheet. This is an area where Dr. Wise has conducted some of his research. Using Dr. Wise’s data, you are going to make recommendations for where to efficiently mine for the element tantalum in the Sebago Lake region of Maine.
- Research the commercial uses of tantalum found in certain pegmatites.
- Use the bedrock map of Maine in the data sheet to determine which types of rock are at Sebago Lake.
- Using Dr. Wise’s geochemical data from rocks throughout Sebago Lake in the data sheet, make a graph to evaluate potential tantalum mineralization throughout this region.
- Scatter plot the potassium (K)/rubidium (Rb) ratio on the y-axis and cesium (Cs) on the x-axis using the data. Label each data point on the graph with the location ID.
- Generally, high levels of tantalum are found in pegmatites with higher levels of Cs and lower K/Rb values. Based on these relationships, make recommendations for which locations should be mined for tantalum by ranking the locations from best (1) to poor (10).
- Provide an explanation for your ranking of each location. Compare and contrast your rankings with your classmates’ rankings.
- Once pegmatites are located, Dr. Wise must determine how accessible they are for mining. If they are difficult to mine, it may not be an economically practical location. Describe how you would identify new areas to search for pegmatites and tantalum.
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| Mission Challenge |
Using the processes Dr. Wise uses to search for pegmatites, you are going to search for commercially useful and accessible rocks and minerals in your area.
- Obtain a local bedrock map. Analyze the rock types within a 50 km radius of your school or home. Which types of rock are most commonly found in your region?
- Pick a local area to explore and obtain a map of this region. Go into the field and collect a variety of different types of rocks and/or minerals, focusing on the type of rocks indicated on the bedrock map. Plot your collection sites and samples on the map. Use your resources to identify the samples you collect.
- What type of rocks and minerals did you identify? Note the location of each on your map.
- How accessible were the samples during collection?
- What are the commercial uses of the rocks and minerals you collected?
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| Debrief |
- Share your data and map with your class. Using the class data, select the areas in the community which you think may contain the highest concentrations of commercially useful, accessible rocks and/or minerals.
- Write a proposal to your community leaders about how to best use these resources to the advantage of the community.
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Journal Question
Describe how maps and rocks collected from your area can provide you with information about the geology of your local community. |
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