Geology 125 Lab 3

Rocks and Plate Tectonics

Week of February 2nd, 2015
Rocks are the solid materials that comprise nearly all of Earth, our Moon, and the
other rocky planets of our solar system. Nearly all rocks are solid aggregates of mineral
grains, either mineral crystals or fragments of mineral crystals and rock fragments that
have been rounded into pebbles, gravel, sand, and silt. All rocks are part of a system of
rock-forming processes, materials, and products that is often portrayed in a conceptual
model called the rock cycle. The rock cycle model explains how all rocks can be formed,
deformed, transformed, destroyed, and reformed as a result of environmental factors and
natural processes that affect them.

Rock-forming materials come from Earths mantle, space, organisms, or the

fragmentation and chemical decay of mineral crystals and other rocks. Environmental
changes and processes affect these materials and existing rocks in ways that produce
three main rock groups.
o
o

Igneous rocks form when magma or lava cool to a solid form, either glass or
masses of tightly intergrown mineral crystals, in batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths,
lava flows, and volcanoes.
Sedimentary rocks form mostly when chemical residues and fragments of plants,
animals, mineral crystals, or rocks are compressed or naturally cemented together.
They also form when mineral crystals precipitate from water to form a rocky mass
such as rock salt or cave stalactites.
Metamorphic rocks are rocks deformed or changed from one form to another by
intense heat, intense pressure, and/or the action of hot fluids. This causes the rock
to recrystallize, fracture, change color, and/or flow. As the rock flows, the flat
layers are folded and the mineral crystals are aligned like parallel needles or
scales.

Part 1. Rock Sample Identification

1. Decide if it is igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic.
2. if it is igneous choose the correct chemistry type (mafic or felsic)
if it is sedimentary choose the correct type (clastic or chemical),
if it is metamorphic choose the texture (foliated or non-foliated).
3. Name the rock. Word Bank: quartzite, limestone, granite, schist, sandstone, basalt.
4. Describe or illustrate how each rock might have formed.
SAMPLE A
Circle one:
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Circle one:
Mafic or Felsic
Clastic or Chemical
Foliated or Non-foliated
Name: _______________________________
Using the rock cycle, describe how this rock might have formed:

SAMPLE B
Circle one:
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Circle one:
Mafic or Felsic
Clastic or Chemical
Foliated or Non-foliated
Name: _______________________________
Using the rock cycle, describe how this rock might have formed:

SAMPLE C
Circle one:
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Circle one:
Mafic or Felsic
Clastic or Chemical
Foliated or Non-foliated
Name: _______________________________
Using the rock cycle, describe how this rock might have formed:

SAMPLE D
Circle one:
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Circle one:
Mafic or Felsic
Clastic or Chemical
Foliated or Non-foliated
Name: _______________________________
Using the rock cycle, describe how this rock might have formed:

SAMPLE E
Circle one:
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Circle one:
Mafic or Felsic
Clastic or Chemical
Foliated or Non-foliated
Name: _______________________________
Using the rock cycle, describe how this rock might have formed:

SAMPLE F
Circle one:
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Circle one:
Mafic or Felsic
Clastic or Chemical
Foliated or Non-foliated
Name: _______________________________
Using the rock cycle, describe how this rock might have formed:

Part 2. Differences between Continental and Oceanic Crust - Experiment

An important property of a material is its density. Density is the mass of a substance per
unit volume, usually expressed as grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3) in the metric system.
The density of pure water at 4 C is 1 g/cm3.
PROCEDURE
We will measure the mass and volume of two different unknown rocks. From the volume
and mass, we will be able to calculate the density of the two different samples.
1. Be sure to dry off the unknown rock samples if they are wet from previous experiments.
2. Using an electronic balance, measure and record (see Table 1) the mass of both unknown rock
samples in grams. You can (temporarily) describe them by color for your own record keeping.
3. Fill the graduated cylinders with 300-400 mL of water from the sink. Record the precise
initial volume of water in each cylinder in Table 1.
4. Tilt one of the graduated cylinders to the side and slide one of the rock samples into it. Do not
let the sample fall into the waterif water splashes out, you must start the experiment over!
Repeat this step for the other cylinder and rock sample.
5. Record the new volume of the water in each cylinder in Table 1. The difference between
the initial water volume and the final water volume is the volume of the sample!
6. Calculate the density of each sample.

Table 1. Experiment Data

Sample
Color

Mass of
Sample (g)

Initial volume
of water (mL)

Final volume
of water (mL)

Volume of
sample (cm3)

Density of
sample (g/cm3)

Hint: For pure water. 1 mL = 1 cm3

Question: In summary -- compare the densities of the two samples.

Which one do you think represents continental crust and which one
represents oceanic crust? Why?

Part 3. Plate Motion and Crustal Features of the Earth

Use the plate tectonics puzzle to answer the following questions. Mark your answers on the map
on the following page.
--To help you with this project, there are plastic relief maps. Use the plastic relief maps to find
helpful topographic features such as trenches and mountain/volcano chains.

1. Pick up the Pacific Plate. Find the Hawaiian Islands and Emperor Seamounts. Put an
arrow on your map to indicate which direction the Pacific Plate is moving today.
2. Put a star on the map in one location where you expect to find oceanic plate subduction.
Look at the plastic relief map for features that suggest subduction (trenches)
3. Pick up the South American and African Plates. Find the Mid-Atlantic ridge. Mark with an
arrow on each plate in the direction they are moving
4. Put a triangle on the map in one location where you expect to find new oceanic crust being
formed.
5. Pick up the Indian Plate. Put an arrow on your map indicating the direction it is moving.
(Think about what youve learned about the formation of the Himalayan Mountains.)
6. Put a circle on the map in one location where you expect to find two plates sliding past
each other.
7. Not including the plates that have already been mentioned, label two more plates on this
map. (Plates are often named after the continents on them.)

Part 4. Types of Plate Boundaries

In each box provided, do the following:
1. Sketch a cross-section of the listed type of plate boundary.
2. Put an arrow on each plate to indicate its direction of motion.
3. If applicable, label things like trenches, volcanoes, etc.
4. Name one location in the world where you might find that type of boundary.
Convergent Oceanic-Continental
Location: ____________________

Divergent Continental-Continental
Location: ______________________

Convergent Oceanic-Oceanic
Location: ____________________

Divergent Oceanic-Oceanic
Location: _________________

Convergent Continental-Continental
Location: ______________________

Transform
Location: _________________

Part 5. How do Plate Tectonics control the Rock Cycle?

For this section consider each aspect of the lab and summarize what you have learned
about the relationship between Plate Tectonics and how rocks are formed.
What tectonic processes (or lack thereof) help form these rocks?
Igneous

Metamorphic

Sedimentary