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Rocks & Minerals - A Chip Off the Old Rock!

The rocks in the Earth's crust are constantly changing. Rock changes its shape and composition in a variety of ways. It requires energy to change from one type of rock to another. The rock cycle has many paths which can change the structure and type of rocks. In this activity, you will model the rock cycle!

Materials:

  • Wax paper
  • 4 different colors of candy chips (use different flavors and colors, ex: vanilla, chocolate, mint and butterscotch)
  • Knife
  • Aluminum foil
  • Heavy books
  • Hot plate
  • Oven mitts
  • Rolling pin

Directions:

  1. Cover the work area with a sheet of wax paper.
  2. Place one type of chip on the wax paper.
    • Carefully use a knife to shave or break the chips into small pieces
    • Repeat this process until you have made shavings for all four types of chips.
    • Be sure to keep the shavings separated by flavor.
  3. Fold the aluminum foil in half.
  4. Open the foil and place one type of chip shavings on half of the sheet and cover with another piece of foil.
    • Use the rolling pin to press the shavings into a flat square.
    • Make an even layer.
    • Be careful not to tear through the foil.
  5. Continue pressing the different types of chips into different layers.
    • Do this by placing the second set of chip shavings on top of the first, the third layer on top of the second, and the fourth layer on top of the third.
    • You should end up with four flat distinctive layers.
  6. Fold the top half of the foil over the chip layers.
  7. Place this foil package between two heavy books, and apply light pressure for 2 seconds.
  8. Remove the foil package and carefully open it.
  9. Close the foil package again and again place it between the two heavy books.
    • Sit on the books for a minute or two.
  10. Remove the foil package from between the books and carefully open it.
  11. Carefully fold the edges of the foil to form an edge around the outside like a shallow bowl.
  12. Place the foil packet onto the hot plate. Be careful from this point on as you use the hot plate!
  13. Turn on the hot plate to medium heat (do not stir but allow the chip shavings to melt at their own speed.
  14. Turn off the hot plate.
  15. Using oven mitts, remove the foil packet.
  16. Allow the packet to cool until the candy becomes solid again in a place where an adult instructs you it is safe.
  17. Be careful not to mix your melted shavings as you move them.

Safety concerns: Be sure to follow all electrical, heat, and chemical safety rules that are specified by your teacher in all general laboratory experiences. As with all science lab activities, the most important safety rule is to follow all teacher directions.

Analysis Questions:

  1. In your model of the rock cycle, what do the whole chips represent?
  2. What does the knife represent in your model?
  3. What do the chip shavings represent?
  4. What natural processes are responsible for disintegrating and decomposing rocks?
    • Where does the energy come from to do this process?
  5. When you pressed the chips into layers by hand what natural process did you model?
    • How is the energy for this natural process provided on Earth?
  6. What natural process from the rock cycle did the books represent?
  7. What natural process did you model when you sat on the books with the chips between them?
    • How does Earth naturally have the energy for this process you modeled?
  8. What natural process did the hot plate model?
    • Where does the energy for this process come from on Earth?
Utah State Office of Education This Sci-ber Text was developed by the Utah State Office of Education and Glen Westbroek.