(1)
Learning about minerals, mineral groups and identification was the most interesting in module 4. The most common minerals video was interesting. I did not know that Oxygen was a mineral. When oxygen atoms bond they form silicon. Silicates are a large mineral group that cover 90% of the earth’s crust. That made me realize that minerals are all around us. That is interesting because I always felt minerals are a rare substance. Oxygen is extremely valuable to mineral rock creation. The mineral identification key helps people understand what mineral they are observing. I also enjoyed the rock cycle from module 5 which is the sequence of changes that impact rocks. Rocks is called magma when underground and lava when on the surface. It was interesting that all rocks began as magma. The atmosphere can impact how the rock is viewed over time. The Igneous rocks flow chart gave me a more in-depth view of rocks in general.
(2)
What I found to be interesting in these modules was the way minerals are identified. I never once thought a streak test was something that geologists could use to help identify some of the “rocks” or minerals. I also was not aware that the color is not as important as the rest of the mineral identifications. Who would have thought two different colors of hematite would produce the same color during a streak test. I also thought the part about Atom’s bonding was interesting, though I learned a little bit about Atoms back in high school however many, many years ago that was this was just a tad bit more information than I had learned. It was interesting to learn a little more about the shells of an Atom. I knew there were positive and negatives in this realm, but I am going to be completely honest and say I could not have explained any of it to you before. Not saying I am proficient in it now however I have a slightly better understand of how it works. I also am more aware of the periodic table. I could not really tell you what any of it meant when describing what numbers were what and where what went. I am quite enjoying the fact that I can broaden my perspective on things I was so unaware of before.
IN 4-5 LINES, RESPOND TO THIS TWO DISCUSSION BOARD
