Al-Anjal National Schools (American Division) 1st Semester 2nd Quarter Study Guide Science - Grade 4

Chapter 8. Minerals and Rocks Lesson 1. What are minerals? S.B pages 239 - 241

Minerals are natural, nonliving solid crystals that make up rocks.

Heyy! Do you know what were made of? Were made of minerals! Hey you! Pssst! Want to hear a secret?

Im Mr.Salt. Im sure you taste me in your food every day. But did you learn in your science class that Im a mineral?

There you go. Im giving you a magnifying glass to look right through me and see what Im made of.

Im made of crystals which look like this

I wonder why Mr.Salt didnt tell you about me. Im important too. Im a rock, and Im made of minerals. All rocks are made of minerals. Most rocks are made of different types of minerals. Youll learn about us rocks in details in lessons 2 and 3.

Exactly Mr.Rock, see you in lessons 2 and 3. Now were going back to us minerals. Below is more information about us, study well! Good luck!

- Each mineral has crystals that are a certain shape.

Fluorite is a mineral that has cube-shaped crystals.

Corundum is another mineral that has crystals with about six sides.

How to Identify a Mineral

Scientists test the rocks physical properties.

2.Hardness
1. Color
how easily a mineral can be scratched.

3. Luster
the way a minerals surface reflects light.

4.Cleavage

5. Streak
For this test, a mineral is scratched on a special plate. The mineral leaves a powder. Streak is the color of this powder.

A minerals color is easy to see. Feldspar is a mineral. But it can be pink or white.
Scientists cannot identify a mineral just by its color. A mineral can come in different colors. But its streak is always the same color. For example, halite is a mineral that can have different colors. Halite can be clear or white. It can have yellow, red, or blue bits in it. But halites streak is always white. Lesson 1 Summary

Scientists also look at a minerals luster. Luster is the way a minerals surface reflects light. The luster can be dull, metallic, pearly, glassy, greasy, or silky. Mohs Scale for Hardness

Scientists also test a minerals hardness. They find out how easily a mineral can be scratched. They use a chart called the Mohs Scale for Hardness. This chart orders minerals from 1 to 10. A mineral with a higher number can scratch all the minerals with a lower number. For example, the mineral topaz is an 8. Quartz is a 7. Topaz can scratch quartz.

Lesson 2: How are sedimentary rocks formed? S.B pages 242 - 245

Rocks are made of minerals.

Tiny pieces of broken rocks are called sediments.

The process of breaking down of rocks into sediments is called weathering.

Eroded sediments are pieces of rocks carried away by water, wind, gravity and ice... Erosion is when water, ice, wind, and gravity carry broken down pieces of rock. The tiny pieces of rock settle on the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and oceans.

There are 3 main types of rocks:

1. Sedimentary

2. Igneous

3. Metamorphic

1. Sedimentary rocks: the eroded rock and dirt is called sediment. Newer layers of sediment
settle on top of older layers, pressing the older layers together. Sticky clay minerals glue the particles together. They become hard and become sedimentary rock.

How sedimentary rocks form:

Sediments are carried away by water, till they settle down in the sea floor.

Sediments reach the sea bed. They settle down at the bottom as you can see, and over thousands of years with pressure, they get pressed together to form layers of sedimentary rocks.

Types of Sedimentary Rock

1. Limestone made of the bones and shells of sea animals that lived long ago.

2. Sandstone forms from small pieces of quartz, each about the size of a grain of sand.

3. Mudstone made in lakes or oceans from tiny pieces of clay minerals.

How Stone Tells a Story

Fossils help scientists learn about old plant and animal life on Earth. Many fossils are found in sedimentary rock. Some examples are dinosaur footprints or a copy of teeth from an extinct animal. Bones, shells, teeth, and leaves are also fossils. Dinosaur tracks can show whether a dinosaur walked on two or four legs. Fossils also show that Earth has changed. For example, fossils of giant sea turtles that were found in South Dakota prove that water once covered this area. - If you found a fish fossil in the desert, would it mean that fish live in deserts? - No, it would mean that once before (like millions or thousands of years ago), the desert was another ecosystem and it was covered with water.

How a Fossil Forms: An animals soft body parts wear away after the animal dies. Its skeleton, teeth, and other hard parts of the body remain. Sediment like sand or mud buries these parts. Minerals from the sediment replace minerals in the body parts. The sediment hardens into rock. Geologic Time Scale: A geologic time scale divides Earths history into four time periods. The earliest period is at the bottom. Newer periods are at the top. Images of fossils:

Fossil A dinosaurs footprint A scientist examining a fossil

Fossil A dinosaurs bones

Fossil A hard shell

Lesson 3: What are igneous and metamorphic rocks? S.B pages 246 - 249
How igneous rocks form:

1.

- Did you know that rocks can melt? Under Earths surface is a layer of rock. It is so hot that it is partly melted. This rock is called magma. Igneous rocks form from this molten rock.

2.

- Magma is called lava after it reaches the surface. Lava cools quickly. It hardens into igneous rock. This can happen in a few days.

3.

The types of igneous rocks

1. Igneous rocks with crystals: An igneous rock that cools quickly has no time to form crystals. Most igneous rocks are not made this way.

2. Igneous rocks without crystals: Magma rises to the Earths surface. It slowly fills spaces in the crust. The magma changes into igneous rock. Mineral crystals form in this rock. This very slow process can take more than a million years!

How metamorphic rocks form:

1.
Magma

2.

3.

The temperature below Earths crust can melt rock. Rock is also under a lot of pressure. Rocks that change because of this heat and pressure are called metamorphic rocks. Metamorphic rocks can form from sedimentary or igneous rock.

The Rock Cycle

Old rocks are always changing into new rocks. This process is called the rock cycle. Heat, pressure, weathering, and erosion are some forces of this cycle. Not all rocks complete the cycle. Some rocks may only go through part of the cycle.

Teacher: Rania Zakaria Head of Department: M. AlZaidat