From looking at all our mining locations, we're seeing a couple things:
1. That there's different rocks at different locations around the world, just like the mountains that we've already studied. What's so different about these rocks?
2. It gets hotter the deeper we go down. But what exactly does all this heat do to solid rock?
First we looked at rocks up close to realize they have different textures and our research helped us see that they have different melting points and densities. These things are helping us see why certain types of rocks are located in different places on the Earth!
1. That there's different rocks at different locations around the world, just like the mountains that we've already studied. What's so different about these rocks?
2. It gets hotter the deeper we go down. But what exactly does all this heat do to solid rock?
First we looked at rocks up close to realize they have different textures and our research helped us see that they have different melting points and densities. These things are helping us see why certain types of rocks are located in different places on the Earth!
We then explored rocks and heat, comparing heating rocks to what glass blowers experience in their artistry. We figured out a couple things:
1. Rocks begin to gradually change in heat--they melt! This process where rocks are gradually changing is called creep, and the more heat and the more pressure there is below and above rock causes differences to occur!
1. Rocks begin to gradually change in heat--they melt! This process where rocks are gradually changing is called creep, and the more heat and the more pressure there is below and above rock causes differences to occur!
We're starting to see how what's going on DEEP below the surface can help us explain what's going on at the surface. Check out these three students' ideas!
So if different rocks have different properties, yet all of them are exposed to heat and creep, what is really going on with these mountains? We are going to turn back to Ridgecrest to see what kind of evidence was there to help us make sense of this!