Department of Earth Science |Northeastern Illinois University

INTRODUCTION TO EARTH SCIENCE
ESCI 121
Spring 2006

By the end of today’s class, you should be able to do the following:

*  Complete the sentence, "Most rocks are made of _________."

*  List the three major groups of rocks and briefly explain how each type forms.

*  For each of the three major groups of rocks, give a few plate tectonic settings in which one might find that type of rock forming.

*  Explain what a mineral is, listing the characteristics that all minerals share. 

*  Use simple laboratory tools (dissecting needle, copper penny, hand lens, scratch plate, streak plate) to investigate the properties of minerals.

*  Describe what is meant by the following terms used to describe mineral properties: 

                    hardness         luster         streak         specific gravity         cleavage         color

*  Use a mineral identification key to identify hand samples of minerals.

*  List and describe the three major kinds of particles in an atom.

*  Use a periodic table of the elements to determine how many protons are in any given atom.

*  Explain why some atoms tend to join together (bond) to form compounds. 

© 2006 Laura L. Sanders.  Last updated January 26, 2006.