We had shredded candle wax representing different types of sediments. Remember that sediments are pieces of rock, mineral, or organic material that get carried away by water, wind, or ice.
Top left- sedimentary rock
Compaction and cementation creates rock in which you can more easily see the types of sediment that make up the rock. Notice you can see the red, white, and green clearly. This is where you will find the best fossils.
Bottom left- metamorphic rock
Heat and pressure creates metamorphic rock. I couldn't heat my hands up enough (ouch!) to truly represent a perfect metamorphic rock, but it gets "squishy" and pressed together. Sometimes you can see the sediments/rock that make up the rock, but sometimes you can't.
In the tree- igneous rock
Melting and cooling of magma (intrusive) or lava (extrusive) creates igneous rock. The melted wax represents the magma/lava and when it cools it represents an igneous rock. Can you see the colors of the wax? No! So do you think it's easy to tell which minerals are found in igneous rock? No! Do you think you'd find fossils in igneous rock? No!
Step 1: break up your starburst to create your sediments. So pretty!
Let's do it again!!! Rock cycle!!!! Woohoo!!