Been a while...Igneous rocks now!

Oops...been a while since I've posted. My bad (never really liked that phrase...)! Anyway, we've taken the chapter 2 quiz over mining and minerals (9/28) and have moved into learning about Igneous rocks -- quite a technical subject. So, don't take it for granite!!! HA!

On 9/30, we travel to Mole Hill to see one of the few good examples of igneous activity here in the Shenandoah valley. Don't forget your permission slips and some old, grimy shoes!

Mineral Identification

Well, we've been doing everyone's favorite geology lab...mineral identification! Where we explore cleavage and fracture, hardness and luster, specific gravity and color, all with the goal of giving a name to some unknown sample of something you'll maybe never see again in your life. Who hoooo! Actually, that's not the point. The point is that we are exploring how the chemical make-up of something can profoundly impact its physical properities. Most of you haven't finished. We'll work on it some more next week.

In the mean time...

1) Field trip to the Bowers-Campbell Zinc Mine tomorrow! Wear old shoes!
2) Minerals/mining quiz next Tuesday
3) Chapter 2 quiz on September 28th....and there just might be a question whose answer may appear here. Be vigilant!

Minerals and Zinc Mining in Timberville, VA

This week, beside taking the chapter 1 quiz, we have talked about minerals and zinc mining. With minerals, we talked about their physical properties, chemistry, crystal forms, and how we define which substances can be called minerals. Remember, minerals are different from rocks, as they are what make rocks! With regard to zinc mining, we talked about how the mineral sphalerite was mined locally during the 1950's and 1960's in the area. The local mines took the shape of room and pillar mines with adits that led to the surface, through which air, water, and heavy machinery all travelled. The zinc ore in this area is referred to as a Mississippi Valley Type deposit (MVT), meaning that it is found in faulted carbonate rock that has been influenced by the presence of hydrocarbons (oil and gas). We don't have alot of hydrocarbon deposits in our area, but they do exist in many places in small amounts. These mines were not open for very long and the orebodies were not very large, but it was an important industry locally during the middle of the 20th century.

Chapter 1 Review

Today, we had some time to work on our chapter review homework as well as a vocabulary crossword puzzle. The day after labor day, Tuesday Sept. 8th, is the day of our chapter 1 quiz and the date on which your homework is due. Don't forget!

The Scientific Method and Making Geological Interpretations

Today, we reviewed the basic steps to the scientific method. This year, however, we took our understanding a little further by injecting some philosophy of science. We learned that for a theory to be considered "scientific", it must fulfill three important criteria. It must be falsifiable. It has to be possible to find a way to prove it wrong, even if it never is proven wrong. A theory also must be testable. It has to be shown to actually apply, over and again, in the manner in which it was proposed. Finally, the method or methods used to arrive at that theory must be able to be reproduced by others in the same manner so that they can arrive at the same result.

We also explored the "Socratic Method" a bit. The ideas of belief and truth were discussed and how they come together to produce what we call knowledge. We took this a step further and briefly discussed the fact that science is concerned typically concerned with exploring absolute truth rather than relativistic ideas, which, honestly, can't truly exist anyway. Whether by inductive or deductive reasoning, our goal should always be to try to understand how the natural world works in some definitive way.

Don't forget about the quiz over these notes next time. Also, your homework for chapter 1 (vocabulary and review questions) is due on September 8th, the same day as the chapter 1 quiz! Check the geocalendar!