Rocks! Did you know…
We caught up with our resident Mother Lovin’ Sustainability Expert, Sarah Lamagna, to learn more about all the rocks we see while we are out hiking as a family. Geology rocks!
Have you ever seen ripples on a rock face while on belay? Or maybe big, airy holes in the rock your kid picks up on a forest floor? Ever wonder what really made them? This Mother Lovin’ lesson is all about beaches from when dinosaurs roamed, volcanic eruptions, and ancient floods. We’re learning about geology: the study of rocks! Rocks give us little clues about what happened in our earth’s history well before we walked here and if you look close enough, you’ll be able to see its rich history!
There are three types of rock: sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Sedimentary rocks are usually found in low-lying areas which include prehistoric shallow seabeds and glacial paths. Places like the southwest US have a lot of sandstone from an ancient ocean while the northeast US has more limestone created from seashells in calcium-rich waters. These rocks usually also contain the most fossils than any other type of rock: think shark teeth, walrus tusks, and dinosaur bones!
“Rocks give us little clues about what happened in our earth’s history well before we walked here and if you look close enough, you’ll be able to see its rich history! ”
Igneous rocks are formed when magma (lava that has come to the surface) cools and solidifies. Granite and basalt are two types of igneous rocks and are found most commonly in places like Hawaii, Iceland, and the Pacific Northwest (you know, where active volcanoes are!). Metamorphic rocks are sedimentary or igneous rocks that have been transformed by pressure, heat, or water. Marble comes from limestone, quartzite comes from sandstone, and gneiss sometimes begins as granite. Pretty neat, right?
So next time you’re on an adventure, make sure to check out the rocks around you. What colors do you see? Are there layers? Are they light or heavy? Do they sparkle? Each trait is a new clue to the history of the land around you and the animals that once roamed there!
Written by our Mother Lovin Sustainability Expert, Sarah Lamagna
