Will this discovery make you a millionaire?

Will this discovery make you a millionaire? Sometimes knowing how to identify rocks and minerals can pay off BIG! Created by S.Falwell, permission granted for teachers to use if they include a link to http://comelearnmore.com/

The discovery… • One summer day, while you are walking in the woods, you hear water. So you walk a little farther and come to a stream. It is very peaceful to hear the running water, so you follow the path of the stream as you continue walking. • There is lots of wildlife to observe. You hear birds and see them fly among the trees. You see grasshoppers jumping in the grass. You see a frog jump from the grass into the water. • That’s when you see it. At the exact spot where the frog jumped you glimpse a shiny piece of yellow. When you look closer, you see several other bits of golden color. • You stop and bend down for a closer look. Did you just discover gold in the woods?

The test… • You have to be sure that the yellow rocks you found really were gold. This could make you rich! • You will make observations and determine if the rocks you found are really gold or not.

First, choose your sample.Students will indicate their choice and at the end of the lesson will find out if they are a millionaire or notThen begin recording your observations. Sample A Sample B http://thebughouse.net/images/Pyrite2_WS.jpg http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/PublishingImages/GoldNug01.jpg

Observation #2 Sample A Sample B • Sample B can be scratched with a knife. • Sample B cannot scratch glass. • Sample B can be scratched with your fingernail. • Sample A cannot be scratched with a knife. • Sample A will scratch glass

Observation #3 Sample A Sample B • Sample B flattens when hit with a steel hammer • Sample A is brittle, and breaks into uneven pieces when hit with a steel hammer

Observation #4 Sample A Sample B • Sample B is a very good conductor of electricty • Sample A does conduct electricity, but not as well as sample B

Observation #5 Sample A Sample B • Sample B is shiny in bright sunlight and in the shade. • Sample A is shiny in bright sunlight. • Sample A is not as shiny as sample B in the shade.

Observation #6 Sample A Sample B • Sample A is more dense than water • Sample A has a specific gravity of 5 • Sample B is more dense than water. • Sample B has a specific gravity of 19

Observation #7 Sample A Sample B • Sample A makes a greenish-brown mark on unglazed tile • Sample B makes a yellow mark on unglazed tile

Observation #8 Sample A Sample B • Sample B does not have an odor • Sample A has a sulphurous smell when it is broken with the hammer and when it is scratched on the unglazed tile.

Are you a millionaire? Sample A Sample B http://thebughouse.net/images/Pyrite2_WS.jpg http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/PublishingImages/GoldNug01.jpg

References • http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/education/down_under/gold/properties.html • http://geology.com/minerals/gold.shtml • http://geology.com/minerals/pyrite.shtml • http://nevada-outback-gems.com/mineral_information/Pyrite_mineral_info.htm • http://www.webelements.com/gold/physics.html • http://webmineral.com/Alphabetical_Listing.shtml#.UqOaG8znYeG • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite • Image sources: • http://thebughouse.net/images/Pyrite2_WS.jp • http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/PublishingImages/GoldNug01.jpg

Will this discovery make you a millionaire?