Rocks of Ages
Rocks go way back. In fact, they were around when Earth was originally formed, around 4-and-a-half billion years ago. Today, they not only form the crust of our planet, but get some serious action on lower levels as well.
The ultimate shape shifters, rocks accumulate, melt, cool and transform into three distinct types that play a crucial role in Earth’s systems, from offering evidence of our planet’s history and composition to providing safe shelters for animals and forming nutritious soil for plants and trees.
And speaking of soil, you’re about to learn a great deal about how and why it… (wait for it)…rocks.
What You'll Do
In this lesson you’ll watch four short animations that explain how rocks are created, changed, and destroyed as well as how soil forms and why we need to take care of it. After taking notes and online quizzes, you’ll have a chance to organize what you’ve learned in an outline on Page 6. Then you will create your own project to imagine the journey of a mineral through the rock cycle and into soil and even living things.
