Rocks, Weathering, and Erosional Landscapes

Dr. Lindley Hanson

Salem State College

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection and has been reviewed by 1 other review process (view details)

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Initial Publication Date: April 30, 2008 | Reviewed: June 7, 2013 (see revision history: 2 events)

Summary

Students will identify a variety of silicate minerals and rocks and relate them to their topographic expression according to relative resistance.

Landscape Evolution | College Lower (13-14)

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Context

Audience

Introductory geomorphology course for second year students. The only prerequisite is physical geology.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

They should have retained from their introductory geology course a basic knowledge of how to classify rocks and minerals and read topographic maps. This lab assumes that students remember how to determine the properties of minerals and identify the textures of rocks.

How the activity is situated in the course

This is the first lab of the course. It's is designed to help students transport basic skills acquired in the introductory physically geology course and apply them to geomorphology.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Students will identify principal rock forming silicate minerals and distinguish their relative stability when exposed to weathering; identify sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and deduce the relative resistance based on mineral composition and texture;and finally relate erosional landscapes to the differential weathering and erosion of rocks of varying strengths.