Rocks are Elastic!! Seeing is Believing
Summary
This activity helps learners see the elastic properties of rocks by actually bending marble. How rocks respond to stress is a fundamental concept, critical to forming explanatory models in the geosciences (e.g., elastic rebound theory). Whereas learners are likely to have lots of experience with rocks, few will have directly experienced them behaving elastically. As a result of this "missed experience", most learners conceptualize rocks as rigid solids; a concept which generally serves students well in everyday life but impedes learning about particular geologic concepts.
Context
Audience
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Learners should have some introduction to the idea that rocks store energy that is released during earthquakes.
How the activity is situated in the course
Generally it would make sense to have this fairly early in learning about earthquakes. It could also be done in conjunction with learning about the properties of solids in a physical science course.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Learners will be able to:
- Explain at least one way to demonstrate that solids, like rocks, can deform elastically.
- Describe how the elasticity of rocks is fundamental to the earthquake cycle.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Not applicable
Other skills goals for this activity
Using physical models
Description and Teaching Materials
See attached file for educator notes, NGSS alignment, student exercise, and answer key.
ROCKS ARE ELASTIC!! Seeing is Believing Activity (Acrobat (PDF) 1.6MB Sep2 22)
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Teaching Notes and Tips
- The rock tongs take some time to construct so read the directions and allow enough time.
- Once constructed, the rock tongs do need to be treated with care. Learners should use them in a controlled environment. Students need to be coached on using them appropriately and not too roughly. With care they can last for years but if they are not treated well, they will show brittle failure by breaking.
Assessment
The student worksheet serves as the summative assessment for the exercise. Alternatively, if rock tongs are being used for a demonstration or informal interactive activity, questions and discussions with learners can help the presenter gauge the level of understanding and help address misconceptions.
References and Resources
- The activity was presented as part of the EarthScope ANGLE Educator Workshops. The associated presentation is Alaska Plate Tectonics & Geohazards.
- Original IRIS webpage for this activity
- Contact ANGLE with questions or comments.