Mining Matters Teachers' Workshop - Modern Mining and Technology Week Sudbury

PROSPECTORS AND DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA MINING MATTERS

Mining Matters Teachers’ Workshop

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Dynamic Earth, Sudbury, ON



Overview of the session

• Curriculum connections

• Earthly treasures

– Minerals versus rocks

– Scientific testing and identification of minerals

– What Ontario mines

• Recycling rocks

– Classification and identification of rocks

• Rocks as clocks

– Fossils of Ontario


Curriculum Connections

All of the Fundamental Concepts can be addressed through Earth science.

Strand, Understanding Earth & Space Systems

Topics in science:

• Grade 4

– Rocks and minerals

• Grade 7

– Heat in the environment


Competency Continuum

• Where do you stand?

Beginning

Exploring

Emerging

Competent

Proficient


Earthly Treasures

Which treasure is a rock and which is a mineral?


become

Elements to Rocks

Minerals are the building blocks of rocks.

Chemical

Elements Minerals

Rocks

bond to become


Activity: Scientific Testing & Identification of Minerals

• After the overview of the tests, use equipment package to make observations of the minerals

• Refer to the properties of minerals chart to match each sample to a mineral name

• Place each sample in the correct place on the Mineral Challenge place mat


Operating mines in Ontario



Recycling Rocks

• The rock cycle has been recycling rock for billons of years; using the same materials to make and remake rocks in an endless cycle.


The Three Rock Groups IGNEOUS

Intrusive • solidifies within the earth • slow cooling means mineral grains have time to grow • coarse grain

Extrusive • solidifies near or on the surface • rapid cooling means minerals have only short time to form • fine grain

SEDIMENTARY Clastic • made up of pieces (clasts) of pre-existing • particle size from microscopic clay to huge boulders

Chemical • formed by chemical precipitation

Biological • may from accumulated carbon-rich plant material or from deposits of animal shells

METAMORPHIC Foliated •forms when pressure squeezes the fat or elongate minerals within a rock so they become aligned • develop platy sheet -like structure

Non-foliated •no matter how much pressure is applied, grains will not align • contact metamorphism, magma intrudes into pre-existing rock; baked by heat


Activity: Rock Classification


Rocks as clocks

• Reflecting on what you have learned thus far, which rock type would most likely contain fossil evidence?

Transport Sedimentation New rock

formation

Fossilization Preservation Dead Organism Life in the past


Getting your bearings

• Fossils through time:

– Geologist record the history of the Earth on a timescale that is unfamiliar to your students

Eons, eras, periods,

epochs … oh my!


Fossils of Ontario • What is the fossil record?

• How are fossils formed and how do scientist find and identify fossils?

• What can a collection of fossils tell us about Ontario’s past?

• Can you think of an economically important reason to study geology?

• Why are sites like Manitouiln Island Nature Reserve of great importance to researchers, the public, etc.


Activity: Mono-, di-, trilobite

• Blank paper

• Crayons (3 colours)

– Head

– Thorax

– Tail

• Trilobite fossil samples

• Attempt to create a complete representation of a trilobite by using all the samples in classroom


Activity: What time is it?

Fossil Challenge

• Without referring to the ON Fossil guide place mat, try to place the sample fossils of Ontario, order from oldest (left) to youngest (right)


Resources for you

• Mining Matters • Field trip subsidy and continuing Earth

science teacher support

• Ontario Mining Association • Summer, Teacher ‘s Mining Tour

• Geological Survey of Canada • Popular Geoscience Fact Sheets

• EdGeo & CGEN • Bringing Earth Science to Life teacher

resouces

http://www.pdac.ca/miningmatters/

http://www.oma.on.ca/en/education/index.asp

http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/education_e.php

http://www.edgeo.org/en_CA/bes-ast


Reflections Please fill in your workshop feedback sheet.

Thank you.

school [email protected]

416.863.6463

www.miningmatters.ca

Twitter: mmSchoolProgram

Slideshare: MiningMattersCA

http://www.miningmatters.ca/

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Mining Matters Teachers' Workshop - Modern Mining and Technology Week Sudbury