Modeling Tectonics

Cracker can be used to model tectonics because the dots are like the faults. They could be put in frosting to model how the crust sits above the mantel and can move.
Materials:
Graham crackers
Frosting
Wax Paper

1. Convergent: cracker over cracker
2. Divergent: down and apart
3. transvergent: slipped

Alfred Wagner-Continental Drift (not strong enough proof), now we know about  convection currents
Three proofs-rock types (fossils), glacial scars, contents fit together
US Navy discovered Mid-Atlantic ridge and polar magnetism

Earth's Layers-Pizza Model

Land floats on top on the ocean, like the toppings float on the pizza. The cheese is like the oceanic crust and the toppings are like the continental crust. While  the sauce is the asthenosphere because the layers above it float on it. The crust of the pizza is like the mantel of the earth. 

The Life of Zane

Zane was created in a volcano in Zimbabwe as a part of a magma flow with many of his friends.  Zane enjoyed his life as a the stud of the rock world, as a metamorphic rock. He was streaked and beautiful with black and silver lines running across him. By the time Zane had reached his sassy stage, his parents had enough of his antics. In an earthquake, Zane's parents rolled away leaving him exposed to the elements. After years of weather and erosion, Zane was no longer a stud. He became a sedimentary rock, loosing his beautiful streaks and becoming a sandy color. Zane was officially a sandstone, plain and boring. Zane continued to be eroded and crushed by his fellow rocks. Until one day, the Zimbabwean volcano erupted and  Zane was a again a studly metamorphic rock. 

Simulations

Heath Bar (Igneous Rock):
Small crystals-extrusive
mixed inside
light minerals meaning more potassium, sodium, and calcium
Also could use fudge
Rice Crispy (Detritial Sedimentary)
bits and pieces: cereal
glue: marshmallows
Butterfinger (Metamorphic Rock-Schist)
clean, distinct layers that can be separated
andes mints or crayons

Earth's Elements

Held together by bonds

MAKIN' Fossils

What is a fossil?
A fossil is the bi-product of a living thing and over 5,000 years old.
Materials:
Cups
59g Sand
1ibs of Plaster of Paris
1.5cup of Water
Shells
sticks

We mixed the sand and water and the slowly mixed the plaster of paris. We added more water, as needed. Once the mixture was had the consistency of pancake mix, we added the shells and then let it sit over the weekend. TADA Fossils!

Revised:
We used the same recipe for all our fossils. They were all pretty easy to get out, but none of them left very good impressions.
The recipe that worked best was Kelsey's and they uses 1/2 sand and 1/2 plaster, mixing in water as needed.  They were able to get great impressions and got them out easily.

Relative Dating

Relative dating is a way of looking at how old elements of the universe are by looking the half lives of elements. Scientists can tell how many half lives something has been through based of radioactive decay which allows them to estimate how old things are.