Minerals and Rocks Reflection
This limestone outcrop can be seen along the North side of the road in Ophir, Utah.
I decided that for my geology project I wanted to actually go out and see some of the things we were talking about in class in the area around where I live. I felt that relating what I was learning to the area in which I lived would help me retain what I was learning better. This was a very interesting experience.
Something I found interesting was the drive through Ophir. One side of the road had beautiful cliffs of various sedimentary rock. I couldn’t get close enough to them to figure out exactly what they were, but even from a distance I could see the distinct layers and various colors between layers. The other side of the road had much darker rocks. It was very obvious that they were different rocks than the ones just across the road. At one point, I stopped to collect some small samples and to take pictures of these darker rocks so I could find out what they were.
After multiple trips out and trying to do what experiments I could at home I had almost decided to not include them in my project. Then I remembered that my husband works with a geologist who could help me identify these rocks. What I was struggling so much to figure out, he found relatively easy. I learned that it definately helps to have the proper equipment when trying to identify rocks and minerals. Finding out what these rocks were also helped me go back and figure out what I had done wrong when I was trying to identify them the first time.
Another thing that I really noticed was that when out driving, I don't usually notice how distinctly different the rocks can be on opposite sides of the road just driving up a canyon. Ophir really made me aware of this since I was looking specifically for rocks. I think this particular part of the project has made me more aware of the processes that help create our Earth.
I decided to do my project on rocks and minerals because my son had a rock project he had to do for his science class. This was a way I could help him and learn more about rocks and minerals at the same time. So during the time I was helping my son, I kept referring to my book in order to find the answers to his questions. The combination of working on this project and helping my son with his own project gave me a deeper understanding of rocks and minerals than I had previous to taking this class. Many of the things I learned during this time are going to stay with me because of the effort I put in.