DOCUMENT RESUME RC 019 736 AUTHOR Trivette, Larry TITLE ... · As one of North Carolina's principal...

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 373 944 RC 019 736

AUTHOR Trivette, LarryTITLE Our Changing Land: Stone Mountain State Park. An

Environmental Education Learning Experience Designedfor Grades 4-6.

INSTITUTION North Carolina State Dept. of Environment, Health,and Natural Resources, Raleigh.

PUB DATE Jun 94NOTE 57p.; Photographs and some illustrations'may not

rept-. clearly.

PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For

Teacher) (052)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Conservation (Environment); *Environmental

Education; *Field Trips; *Geology; IntermediateGrades; *Learning Activities; *Outdoor Activities;Outdoor Education; Vocabulary Development

IDENTIFIERS *Blue Ridge Mountains; North Carolina; Racks

ABSTRACTStone Mountain State Park's environmental education

learning experience, Our Changing Land, introduces the student to thegeology of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with emphasis on Stone Mountain,through a series of hands-on activities. The learning experience isdesigned for grades 4-6 and meets curriculum objectives of thestandard course of study established by the North Carolina Departmentof Public Instruction. It introduces students to concepts such as therock cycle; geologic time; weathering; erosion; sedimentary,metamorphic and igneous rocks; and stewardship of natural resources.On-site activities are conducted at the park, while previsit andpostvisit activities are completed in the classroom. The previsitactivity introduces students to the th-ree different rock types:igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. On-site activities givestudents an understanding of the origin of Stone Mountain,weathering, and erosion. Postvisit activities reinforce concepts,skills, and vocabulary learned. In the packet, the first occurrenceof a vocabulary word used in an activity is indicated in bold type.This document includes definitions, reference materials used indeveloping the activities, and field trip and program evaluationforms. Contains 29 references. (KS)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION011c. or Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

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J.vrne4441 ountairt State Park

4111: ""---"Environmentiii cation -Learning .Expexionce;Designed id; Grades 4-0

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it

James B. Hunt. Jr.

This Environmental Education Learning Experiencewas developed by

Larry Tri vetteLead Interpretation and Education Ranger

Stone Mountain State Park

N.C. Division of Parks and RecreationDepartment of Environment, Health and Natural ResourcesArrA

DEFINERJonathan B. Howes

Governor Secretary

Other Contributors . . .

Park volunteers;

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction;

The N.C. Department of Environment, Healthand Natural Resources;

and the many individuals and agencies who assistedin the review of this publication.

500 copies of this public documentwere printed at a cost of$1,750 or $3.50 per copy

Printed on recycled paper.6-94

iv 5

"I am the child.You hold in yourhand my destiny.

You determine, largely,whether I shall succeed or fail.

Give me, I pray you, thosethings that make for happiness.

Train me, I beg you, that Imay be a blessing to the world."

- Mamie Gene Cole

Funding for this publication was generously provided by

CPliti

ii

1. IntroductionIntroduction to the North Carolina State Parks System 1.1

Introduction to Stone Mountain State Park 1.2

Introduction to the Activity Packet for Stone Mountain State Park 1.3

2. Activity Summary 2.1

3. Pre-Visit Activity'1 The Pressure's On 3.1

4. On-Site Activity'1 Igneous Intruder 4.1

Part I: Igneous Intruder 4.1.2Part II: Rock Walk 4.1.5

5. Post-Visit Activity*1 Let's Do a Time Warp 5.1

6. Vocabulary 6.1

7. References 7.1

8. Forms 8.1

9. Notes 9.1

r reserving and protectingNorth Carolina's natural

resources is actually a rela-tively new idea. The seeds ofthe conservation movementwere planted early in the 20thcentury when citizens we,-ealerted to the devastation ofMount Mitchell. Loggingwas destroying a well-knownlandmark the highest peakeast of the Mississippi. Asthe magnificent forests ofthis mile-high peak fell tothe lumbermen's axe, alarmedcitizens began to voicetheir objections. Gover-nor Locke Craig joinedthem in their efforts tosave Mount Mitchell.Together they convincedthe legislature to pass a billestablishing Mount Mitchellas the first state park of NorthCarolina. That was in 1915.

The North Carolina StateParks System has now beenestablished for more than threequarters of a century. Whatstarted out as one small plot ofpublic land has grown into 59properties across the state, in-cluding parks, recreation areas,trails, rivers, lakes and natural

areas. This vast network ofland boasts some of the mostbeautiful scenery in the worldand offers endless recreationopportunities. But our stateparks system offers much morethan scenery and recreation.Our lands and waters containunique and valuable archaeo-logical, geological and biologi-cal resources that are importantparts of our natural heritage.

As one of North Carolina'sprincipal conservation agen-cies, the Division of Parks.andRecreation is responsible for.the more than 125,000 acresthat make up our state parkssystem. The Division man-ages these resources for thesafe enjoyment of the publicand protects and preservesthem as a part of the heritagewe will pass on to generationsto come.

An important componentof our stewardship of theselands is education. Throughour interpretation and environ-mental education services,the Division of Parks andRecreation strives to offerenlightening programs whichlead to an understa 'ding and.appreciation of our naturalresources. The goal of ourenvironmental educationprogram is to generate anawareness in all individualswhich cultivates responsiblestewardship of the earth.

For m(.re information contact:

N.C. Division of Parksand RecreationP.O. Box 27687

Raleigh, NC 27611-7687919/733 -4181

3Stone Mountain State Park, NC 1, t June 1994,_ ,

tone Mountain State Park1...3is located on the easternedge of the Blue Ridge Moun-tains in North Carolina. Thepark lies in the extreme north-ern portion of Wilkes Countyand extends into the southeast-ern part of Alleghany County.Stone Mountain is the secondlargest state park in NorthCarolina, consisting of ap-proximately 13,400 acres.

The most prominent featureof the park is Stone Mountainitself. This large, granite out-crop is a unique geologicalformation and is the largestgranitic dome in North Caro-lina. Stone Mountain is ap-proximately 390 million yearsold, and rises more than 2,200feet above sea level. Its crestis almost 700 feet above thesurrounding terrain of oldfields, mixed forests, clearstreams and waterfalls. Stone

Mountain Falls, the largestwaterfall in the park, is a cas-cade of over 200 feet. Thereare other granite outcrops andwaterfalls that are accessiblevia the park's 15 miles of hik-ing trails. At Stone MountainState Park, students can seeand learn about some of thegeologic processes that con-tinue to shape our land.

The Park as an OutdoorClassroom:

State parks are not onlywonderful places for scientificinvestigation, but also forenvironmental and culturaleducation. The major themeof Stone Mountain State Parkis geology, but other themescan be studied here as well,such as plant communities,stream investigation, uses ofplants and animals by NativeAmericans z mei early settlers,and the literature of nature

writers such as Thoreau,Emerson Muir.

Stone Mountain State Parkabounds with natural history

,and is an excellent plw.e to-leach geology, ecology, envi-ronmental issues, biology,conservation, earth science,literature, math and recreation.In addition, the park is richwith cultural resources andprovides a wonderful outdoorclassroom for learning aboutthe history of Stone Mountain,water quality, endangered spe-cies and a wide variety of otherthemes. Here is an opportu-nity for students to study andlearn about these and manyother subjects on a hands-onbasis.

Groups are encouragedto visit the park during allseasons of the year for hikes,exploration, nature study andother activities. Leaders may

Stone Mountain State Park, NC10

1.2 June 1994

choose to design and conducttheir own activities or makeuse of the park's environmentaleducation activity packets. Apark ranger would be happyto meet with your group toanswer any questions the stu-dents may have, or welcomethe group and present a shorttalk. Every effort will be madeto accommodate persons withphysical disabilities. Pleasecontact the park office at leasttwo weeks in advance to makearrangements for a group visit.

ilecreation:Another facet of state

parks is outdoor recreation,such as rock climbing, hiking,camping, fishing, horsebackriding and nature study. Bypreserving and protectingNorth Carolina's unique natu-ral features, state parks proVidt,high quality outdoor recreationin beautiful surroundings.

Park Facilities:Restrooms: Restrooms are

available at the park visitorcenter and at the parking areafor Stone Mountain.

Picnic Area: Picnic tablesand grills are available on afirst-come basis. These arelocated at the gravel parkingarea at Stone Mountain andalso across the creek, just afterthe paved main park road endsand the gravel road begins.

Family Camping: Familycamping is available year-round on a first-come basis.Each of the 37 campsites hasa grill, picnic table and gravelpad for tents or R.V's. A

Stone Mountain State Park, NC

centrally located washhouseprovides drinking water, hotshowers and toilet facilities.This washhouse is closed dur-ing the winter. Electric andwater hookups are not avail-able, however a dump stationis available for self-containedunits. A modest fee is chargedfor famiiy camping.

Group Camping: Sixprimitive campsites are avail-able for organized groUps. Asmall fee is charged for thesesites which are available byreservation only. Each sitehas a grill, picnic table andtrash receptacle. A pit toilet isalso available. Drinking watermust be carried to this area.

Back Country Camping:Six backpack campsites arelocated along Widow's Creek.The trail leading to the sitesis one mile past the pavedparking lot. Campers mustwalk 1.5 to 3 miles to the sitedepending on which one isavailable. All supplies mustbe packed to the camping areaexcept water, which is avail-able a short distance from eachsite. Backpack camping is ona first-come basis by permitonly. Campers should registerat the back country campingparking lot. A maximum offour people is permitted oneach campsite. Please carryout your trash; there is notrash disposal atthe camp-site.

Scheduling a Trip:1. To matte a reservation,contact te.e park at least twoweeks in advance.

2. Complete the schedulingworksheet, located on page8.1, and return it to the parkas soon as possible.

Before the Trip:1. Complete the pre-visitactivity in the EnvironmentalEducation Learning Experi-ence.

2. The group leader shouldvisit the park without the par-ticipants prior to the grouptrip. This will enable you tobecome familiar with thefacilities, park staff, identifythemes and to work out anypotential problems.

3. The group leader shoulddiscuss park rules and behav-ior expectations with adultleaders and participants.Safety should be stressed.

4. The group leader is respon-sible for obtaining a parentalconsent form for each partici-pant. Be sure that healthconditions and medical needsare noted. A sample consentform is located on page 8.2.

5. If you will be late or need tocancel your trip, please notifythe park immediately.

6. Research Activity Permitsmay be required for activitiesin which samples will be takenfrom the park. Contact the

park to determine ift research activity'Te- permits are

needed.tvr

June 1994

While At the Park:Complete the on-site activ-

ity. in the Environmental Edu-cation Learning Experience.As you enjoy the natural set-ting of the park. rememberthat the park is for your enjoy-ment, but please follow allsafety concerns and obey allpark rules and regulations.

1. Be as quiet as possible whilein the park. This will help youget the most out of the experi-ence, while increasing thechance of observing wildlife.

2. On hikes, walk behind theleader at all times. Running isnot permitted. Please stay onthe trails!

3. When hiking and studyingat Stone Mountain State Park,please be safety conscious.Some, sections of the park'strails are fairly strenuous. It isrecommended that proper foot-wear be worn and that waterbe carried. Also, hazards suchas bees, snakes, ticks, poisonivy al d extreme weather con-ditions do exist. These hazardscan cause problems if you arenot prepared. Students withany medical conditions shouldbe monitored closely by theadult leaders.

4. All plants and animals areprotected within the park. In-juring or removing plants oranimals is prohibited in allNorth Carolina State Parks.Removal of rocks is also pro-hibited. This allows others inthe future the opportunity toenjoy our natural resources.

3. Picnic only in the desig-nated picnic areas. Help keepthe park clean and natural bynot littering and by picking upany trash left behind by others.

6. In case of accidents oremergencies, contact the parkstaff immediately.

Following the Trip:1. Complete the post-visitactivity, in the EnvironmentalEducation Learning Experi-ence.

2. Build upon the field ex-perience and encourage par-ticipants to seek answersto questions and problemsencountered while atthe park.

3. Relate the experience toclassroom activities throughreports, projects, demonstra-tions, displays and presenta-tions.

4. Give tests or evaluations,if appropriate, to determineif students have gained thedesired information from theexperience.

5. Please complete the pro -gram evaluation sheet, locatedon page 8.3, and send it to thepark.

Park Information:Address:Stone Mountain State ParkStar Route 1, Box 17Roaring Gap, NC 28668Tel:. (910) 957-8185Fax: (910) 957-8185

Office Hours:Year-roundMon. - Fri.

Hours of Operation:Nov-Feb 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.Mar, Oct 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.Apr,May,Sep 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.Jun-Aug 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 1.4

Stone Mountain State Park'sEnvironmental Education

Learning Experience (EELE),Our Changing Land, is de-signed to introduce the studentto the geology of the BlueRidge Mountains, with em-phasis on Stone Mountain,through a series of hands-onactivities. This EELE, whichis designed for grades 4 6.meets curriculum objectivesof the standard course of studyestablished by the North Caro-lina Department of PublicInstruction. It will introducestudents to concepts such asgeologic time, weathering,erosion and rock building.There are three types of activi-ties included in this Environ-mental Educational LearningExperience:

1) pre-visit activity2) on-site activity3) post-visit activity

The on-site activity will beconducted at the park, whilepre-visit and post-visit activi-ties are designed for the class-room environment.

9

p

"I he pre-visit activity is de-signed to introduce studentsto the three different rocktypes, igneous, sedimentaryand metamorphic. It shouldbe done prior to the park visitin order to prepare studentsfor the on-site activity, givingthem the necessary introduc-tory background and vocabu-lary.

The on-site activity, con-ducted at the park by a rangeror the class instructor, is de-signed to give students anunderstanding of the origin ofStone Mountain, weatheringand erosion.

We encourage you to usethe post-visit activity to rein-force concepts, skills andvocabulary learned during thepre-visit and on-site activities.These activities may be per-formed independently, how-ever, we encourage you to dothem in a series to build uponthe students' newly gainedknowledge and experience.

Graphic of timeline used in Post-Visit Activity *1

Cenozoic Era

The Environmental Educa-tion Learning Experience, OurChanging Land, will acquaintstudents with the followingmajor concepts:

Rock CycleWeathering FactorsGeological TimeSedimentary, Metamor-phic and Igneous RocksStewardship of NaturalResources

The first occurrence of r%vocabulary word used in anactivity is indicated in boldtype. A list of definitions canbe found in the back of theactivity packet. A list of thereference materials used in de-veloping the activities followsthe vocabulary list.

This document wasdesigned to be reproduced,in part or entirety, for use inNorth Carolina classrooms.If you wish to photocopy oradapt it for other uses, pleasecredit the North Carolina Divi-sion of Parks and Recreation.

Pliocene Epoch Miocene Epoch Oil

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30


millions of years ago

1.5 i 3 June 1994

The following outline provides a brief summary of each activity, the major concertsintroduced and the objectives met by completion of the activity.

I. Pre-Visit Activity#1 The Pressure's On (page 3.1.1)

Through this activity, students will learn how sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocksare formed, and about the rock cycle.

Major concepts:Rock cycleMechanical weatheringSedimentary rock formationMetamorphic rock formationIgneous rock formation

Objectives:List the three main rock classifications.Describe how the three rock classifications are formed.Explain the rock cycle.Identify four processes by which one rock classification changes into another.Name the predominant igneous rock, and its minerals, found at Stone MountainState Park.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 2. 1 June 1994

II. On-Site Activity41 Igneous Intruder (page 4.1.1)

In Part I, "Igneous Intruder," students will participate in an activity which represents theformation of Stone Mountain and how the mountain has been exposed by the forces of weathering

and erosion. In Part II, "Rock Walk." the students will see first-hand examples of weathering,

erosion, deposition and succession c- the self-guided nature trail at the base of Stone Mountain.

Part I: Igneous Intruder

Major Concepts:Intrusive igneous rockErosion

Objectives:Describe and illustrate how StoneMountain was formed.List three minerals that make upthe granite of Stone Mountain.

Part II: Rock Walk

Major Concepts:WeatheringErosionLand useSuccession

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Objectives:Describe five factors that cause rocks to weather and erode.List the stages in bare rock succession.List three ways early settlers used the rocks in this area and two ways we use them today.

M. Post-Visit Activity*1 Let's Do A Time Warp (page 5.1.1)

The vast scale of geologic time is difficult to envision for most people. This activity presentsgeologic time in a pictorial representation which makes it easier to comprehend.

Major Concepts:Geologic timeGeologic history

Objectives:Conceptualize geologic time using a mural model.Identify three different time periods from the beginning of the Earth until the present time.List one characteristic for each of the three time periods..Name the time period and era we live in now.

15

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 2.2 June 1994

a

Curriculum Objectives:Grade 4

Communication Skills:listening, writingGuidance: competency forinteracting with othersHealthful Living: school andrecreational safetySocial Studies: draw conclu-sions, participate effectivelyin groups

Grade 5Communication Skills:listening, writingGuidance: competency forinteracting with othersHealthful Living: safe schoolenvironmentScience: earth scienceSocial Science: draw conclu-sions, participate effectivelyin groups

Grade 6Communication Skills:listening, writingGuidance: competency andskill for interacting with oth-ersSocial Studies: draw conclu-sions

Location:Classroom/Science lab

Group Size:30 students or less, class size

Estimated Time: 2 to 4 hours

Appropriate Season: Any

Special Considerations:Take proper safety precau-

tions. Hot plate and hot crayonwax can cause bums. C-clampscan pinch/crush fingers.


Materials:Provided by the educator:Per student: safety goggles, large

pocket pencil sharpener, fourwax crayons of the same color,(either fed, green, blue, or yel-low crayons), envelopes, waxpaper

Per group: hot plate, two ovenmittens, petri dish, aluminumfoil, three disposable alumi-num foil pie pans, trivet,newspaper (enough to coverlab surfaceshave lots ofnewspaper handy), one 8 inchC-clamp, two pieces of ply-wood, approximately 25 by 25centimeters

Per class: samples of real sedi-mentary,. metamorphic andvolcanic rocks (contact thepark if you need to borrow arock set), crushed ice, water

Major Concepts:Rock cycleMechanical weatheringSedimentary rock for-mationMetamorphic rock for-mationIgneous rock formation

Objectives:List the three main rockclassifications.Describe how thethree rock classifi-cations areformed.

16

I

Explain the rock cycle.Identify four processes bywhich one rock classifica-tion changes into another.Name the predominantigneous rock, and its min-erals, found at StoneMountain State Park.

Educator's Information:

Q tudents often have a diffi-cult time understanding the

abstract concept of the rockcycle. The students can seerock examples in the class-room; the difficulty lies intheir inability to visualize justhow these rock samples wereformed. The following activityis extremely effective in givingstudents the opportunity to"see" the rock cycle througha series of simulation activi-ties; mechanical weatheringand erosional processes, andformation of sedimentary,metamorphic and igneousrock. The activity can be doneas one continuous process orcan be broken down into fiveseparate parts.

Rocks forming the earth'scrust are classified accordingto their origin. There are threebasic rock classifications. Ofthese three, two (igneous andmetamorphic) are formed bygeologic processes occurringdeep within the earth. Theother, sedimentary. is formedcloser to the earth's surface.The relationship between thesethree rock classifications iswhat is generally consideredthe rock cycle. (The rock cycleis discussed below.)

1. Sedimentary rock -rock that is composed of tinyparticles of sand, clay or othersediments that are depositedin layers on land or on thebottom of lakes. rivers andoceans. Over time, the ex-treme pressure from the weightof the layers above pressesthe deposition into rock, orthe sedimentary particles arecemented together. Examplesare limestone, sandstone andshale.

Sedimentary rocks are im-portant when discussing therock cycle and are also impor-tant in the understanding ofhow metamorphic rock isformed. The metamorphicrock of the Blue Ridge Moun-tains was formed when sedi-mentary rock layers weresubjected to extremely hightemperatures and tremendouspressure. The chemical actionof solutions and gases duringthe last 540 million years ofthe earth's dynamic activityplayed a part as well.

2. Metamorphic rocksedimentary or igneous rockthat has been changed deepinside the earth by extremeheat and pressure over a longperiod of time into a harderrock, with different qualities.An example of sedimentaryrock which was changed toa metamorphic rock is micaschist, which is made frommudstone. Mica schist is amajor rock type found through-out the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The word -metamorpho-sis- means a transformation, amarked change in appearanceor condition. A familiar ex-ample would be a caterpillarchanging, or metamorphosing,into a butterfly.

3. Igneous rock rockformed from magma,solidified from a moltenstate. It can be extru-sive or intrusive.Extrusive igneous rockis formed when magmaspews out onto the earth'ssurface from cracks or ventsin the earth's crust. This typeof magma is called lava.Intrusive igneous rock isformed when magma findsits way into cracks in the rockand solidifies within the earth.The granite outcrops at Stone'Mountain are intrusive igne-ous rocks which formed

deep in the earth but are nowexposed due to erosion.

The Rock CycleGeologists believe that at

one time the earth.was a ballof molten magma and gasses.As the earth cooled, the outer-most layer of magma solidifiedinto a crust of igneous rock.Today, the earth's crust is 30miles thick in some places, yetin others it is so thin that lavacan spew up through cracks.

Even as the first rockscooled, weathering beganbreaking them down intosediments which were erodedaway by wind and water.Those first sediments weredeposited at the edges of thecontinents in the first oceans.

June 1994

The eroded rock particles trav-eled more quickly then theydo today, as there were noplants to stabilize these firstsoils. For over three billionyears the continents were barerock and sediments.

The sediments continued tobuild up as the continents woredown. The underlying sedi-ments became rock again asthe pressure and heat cementedthe particles back together. Of-ten, as the continents erodedthey became lighter and roseup, exposing the sedimentaryrocks to the air, where theystarted to erode away onceagain. Most of the earth's crustis made up of igneous rock, butthe most common class of rockfound on the earth's continentalsurface is sedimentary, whichlies on top of the igneous crust.

The continents are not sta-tionary, but slowly drift abouton top of the molten mantlewhich is beneath the crust. TheNorth American continent isslowly moving westward. Thiscauses the crust at the leadingedge to slide underneath thecontinental plate, pushing thecrust down far enough that itmelts, turning into magma.(This collision of crust andcontinent is what pushed upand continues to push up theRocky Mountains.) This typeof collision causes sedimentaryand igneous rocks caught in itto be under tremendous heatand pressure, enough so that a


third class of rock is formed:metamorphic. Eventually themetamorphic rock will reachthe earth's surface where it towill be subjected to weather-ing.

The continuing cycle ofrocks melting down and thencooling into rocks again, orbreaking down then beingpressed into rocks again hashappened many times. It ishard to imagine, but all therocks you see around you were

once sediments at the bottomof the sea, and one day theparticles in these rocks will bewashed there again. It is alsodifficult to imagine somethingas hard as a rock breakingdown, or the time it takes forthis to happen. For example,it has been estimated that theparticles in the rocks that makeup Mt. Everest, the highestmountain in the world, haveeroded to the sea at least threetimes.

3.1.3 June 1994

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Instructions:Set the stage by asking stu-

dents to describe local rocksand/or rock formations, orones that they have seen duringwalks along a lake or river'sedge, near or on a mountain, orduring drives along highwaysthat were built through roadcuts. Be sure to have severalrock samples distributedaround the room.

Ask the students questionssuch as, "Have you ever won-dered just how these rocksform?" and "Are new rocksforming at this moment?"You might ask each student towrite down one rock-relatedquestion they would like tohave answered in class. Dis-cuss with the students the threeclassifications of rock: sedi-mentary, metamorphic andigneous.

Part A: WeatheringEach student should com-

plete a "The Pressure's On"worksheet as they do the activ-ity. Cover all desk tops withnewspaper. Give each studenta sheet of wax paper, a pocketpencil sharpener and four cray-ons of the same color. Thecrayons represent rock mate-rial, and the pencil sharpenersrepresent weathering agents.Students should remove anddiscard the paper from the out-side of their crayons. Next,they should carefully shave thecrayons with the pencil sharp-ener, keeping all of the frag-ments (which represent rocksediments) in a small pile. Asthe students are "weathering"

their crayons on the wax paper,call their attention to the sizeand shape of the fragments.Discuss with them the follow-ing questions:

"Are the weathered frag-ments all the same'?" ( Answer:No.)

"Why or why not?" (An-swer: The process of weather-ing can be either mechanical(breaking up a rock intosmaller fragments), or chemi-cal (rearranging the elementsinto new minerals). Manyfactors are involved withineach of the two types. As aresult, rock will show a char-acteristic size and/or shape,depending on which kind of-weathering is taking place.)

"What are some of nature'sweathering forces?" (Answer:Mechanical weathering forcescan include water, ice, wind,growing roots, worms andburrowing animals, lightning,expansion and contractioncaused by heating and cooling,human activity, and expansionof rock caused when erosionremoves weight on top andproduces cracks under thesurface of the rock. Chemicalweathering forces includeoxygen, carbon dioxide, water,etc., reacting with a rock ormineral resulting in change.)

"Where do rock fragmentstend to collect?" (Answer: Onthe downhill side of the rock.)

"Why?" (Answer: Gravity.)

"Why do similarly sizedfragments seem to be foundtogether?" ( Answer. Becausesimilar weathering processes

Stone Mountain State Park. NC.

3.1.5 n -4

will usually take place in oneparticular area. Smaller, lighterrock fragments will be carriedfarther away, in a winnowingeffect.)

When the "weathering" iscomplete, the students shouldwrap their fragments in theirwax paper and place each waxpaper packet in an envelope,unless you plan to do Part Bimmediately. Label'each enve-lope as to its contents, "red,""yellow," etc., for properdistribution when the activityis resumed.

Part B: Erosion andSedimentation

Once rock fragments havebeen created, they are usuallymoved by some force of na-ture; here, the students act asthe erosive force as they movethe envelopes containing thefragments within the room.Ask the students what thisforce of movement is called,and to name some of its causes.(Answer: Erosion, caused bywind and water such asstreams, rivers, and waves.)

Place all the weathered"rock" fragments in four sepa-rate piles, one color to a pile.Divide the class into groupsof four arid give each group asheet of aluminum foil (31 cmx 45 cm). A student from eachgroup should carefully transfersome "weathered" fragmentsto the center of their aluminumfoil. Spread the fragmentsinto a 1 cm thick layer. Repeatwith the remaining colors,layering the colors one on topof another (see illustnition).

June 1994

Students should record theirobservations of their "weath-ered" fragments on their "ThePressure's On" worksheet.Fold the foil over the fragmentlayers, allowing for a 1 cmspace all around the fragments,and then carefully fold theedges to seal the packages. Ifyou are breaking the activityinto sections, stop here andlabel each package for properdistribution when the activityis resumed.

Part C: Sediments/Sedimentary RockSimulation

Instruct the groups to placetheir folded foil package be-tween two pieces of plywood.Apply very light pressure withthe C-clamp to compress theplywood pieces and the "rock"


fragments that are betweenthem. Once the "rock sand-wich"-has been lightly com-pressed, remove it from theC-clamp. Students should thencarefully open their packagesand observe the newproduct. Call their attentionto the central region which ismore tightly compressed; theyshould lift this portion fromthe non-compressed fragmentsand carefully break it into twoparts. Look at the brokenedges and describe the layers.How do they compare withthe original layers? What hap-pened to the spaces betweenthe fragments? (Answer: Thelayers are thinner and thespaces between the crayonfragments are now smaller.)

Each group should transfera few of their loose fragmentsand the smaller piece of the"sedimentary rock" into oneof their pie pans. Place the restof the fragments in an envelope(for Part E). The pieces in thepie pan will be used for com-parison with the other "rocks"the students will produce dur-ing this activity. Return the

223.1.6

larger piece of "sedimentaryrock" to the aluminum foiland wrap it up again,

Compare real sedimentaryrock with the sedimentary"crayon rocks." Explain tothe students that, in this area,sediments were laid down ina shallow basin or sea around540 million years ago. Thesesediments were buried withinthe earth's crust, forming sedi-mentary rock. Then, when theNorth American and Africancontinental plates collided,the buried sedimentary rockwas changed into metamorphicrock. These rocks were thecore, or basement, of theAppalachian Mountain Rangethat resulted from the collision.Later, as the rock above waseroded away, the landscapethat we see around us todaywas exposed.

There is not much sedimen-tary rock left in its original lay-ered form at Stone Mountainwhen compared to the amountof igneous rock. This is dueto the age of the rocks and thechanges the rocks underwentas the fragments were buried,

June 1994

heated, folded, and pressedtogether. As "The Pressure'sOn" demonstrates, the originalfragments are hardly recogniz-able after the pressure and heatprocesses.

If available, have the classexamine a sedimentary rockwith fossils imbedded withinit. Almost all fossils are foundin sedimentary rock. Fossilsare not found in igneous rocksince the tremendous heatnecessary to melt rock wouldobliterate any fossils. Thesame is true for metamorphicrock. Due to the heat, foldingand pressure required to createmetamorphic and igneousrock, any fossils that mighthave been present are usuallydestroyed. Since almost allthe rocks at Stone MountainState Park are igneous, nofossils have been found here.

If you are breaking theactivity into sections, stop hereand label each groups materi-als for proper distribution later.

Part D: MetamorphicRock Simulation

Each group should placetheir foil package with he"sedimentary rock" betweenthe two plywood boards andthe C-clamp again. Tell thestudents to tighten the C-clamp

as much as they can this time.This part of the activity dem-onstrates the need for greaterpressure to cause a rock tometamorphose. In reality, asthe pressure deep within theearth increases, the tempera-ture increases as well. A tem-perature change is probablyoccurring in this activity, butwe do not have the equipmentto measure this change. Thechemical activity associatedwith the formation of meta-morphic rock is not a part ofthis activity. It is importantfor the students to understandthat metamorphic rock maybecome contorted in appear-ance and actually flow like aplastic material in response tothe pressure that is caused bythe overriding rock load andcontinental plate movement.

Have the students releasethe compression on theC-clamp, remove the foilpackage and open it carefullyto examine the newly formed"metamorphic rock." Theyshould carefully break this"rock" into two parts andexamine it, noting what hap-pened to the thickness, frag-ment shape and surface. The

students should writedown their observa-tions on their work

sheet. (The different colored"rock fragments" will besqueezed together.)

Stone Mountain State Park, NC- ,_ - ^,^

3.1.7

Examine a real metamor-phic rock and compare it tothe metamorphic "crayonrock." Also compare the realmetamorphic rock to the realsedimentary rock. Have thestudents examine the texture,the edges and overall appear-ance of these rocks. As thebasin or sea opened and closeddue to two continents collidingabout 250 million years ago,the sedimentary rock wasturned into metamorphic rockby heat and pressure.

Place the smaller piece of"metamorphic rock" into thepie pan with the fragments andthe first sedimentary "rock"sample the students made. Thelarger piece of "metamorphicrock" will go in an envelopelabeled "metamorphic." (Youcan reuse an envelopes usedearlier to hold the crayon frag-ments.) If you are breakingthe activity into sections, stophere and label each group'smaterials for proper distribu-tion later.

Part E: Igneous RockFormation

Safety Note: This portion ofthe activity requires that thestudents be especially safetyconscious as they will beworking with a hot plate andmelted wax.

Each group should line theirremaining two pie pans withaluminum foil and do the fol-lowing:

Groups 1 and 2 should eachfill one of their pie pans withcrushed ice.

June 1994

Group 3 should fill one oftheir pie pans halfway withwarm water.

Group 4 should place the"weathered fragments" andthe smaller pieces of "sedi-mentary" and "metamorphic"rocks. they saved earlier intoone of their foil-lined pie pans.(Groups 1, 2, and 3 will savetheir fragments and "rock"pieces for comparison with"igneous rocks" they will makeduring this part of the activity.)

For the igneous rock simula-tion, all groups should placethe "weathered sediments"they set aside in envelopes,plus the larger piece of "meta-morphic rock," into one oftheir foil-lined pie pans.

Be Especially Careful Here!This part of the activity re-quires a hot plate as a heatsource. Students Should AvoidDropping Wax Fragmentson the Hot Plate Surface orThemselves. The students orteachers doing this portion ofthe activity should wear pro-tective oven mittens to avoidbeing burned. Cover each hotplate surface with a layer offoil before you turn it on.(This will diffuse the heat fromthe coils of the hot plate so thecrayons will not burst intoflames.) Each group shouldplace their pie pan of "weath-ered sediments" and "meta-morphic rock" on the hot plateand turn the hot plate tempera-ture to medium. Melt the wax,being careful that the meltingprocess does not occur so rap-idly that the molten wax splat-

ters or burns. When most ofthe "rock" and ''weatheredsediments" are in the moltenstate, turn the.hot plate off andcarefully remove the pie pan,using the oven mittens. Thereis enough heat energy in themolten wax to melt the remain-ing solid mass. Caution: Donot let the wax heat to thesplattering point!

While the wax is still inthe molten state, representingmagma, a student from eachgroup, or the teacher, shouldCAREFULLY do the follow-ing:

Group 1 - Form a trench inthe ice, and using the oven mit-tens, pour the melted wax intothe ice trench. Then cover the"magma" with more crushedice. This simulates intrusiveigneous rock, which is formedby magma flowing into rockcracks deep inside the earth.

Group 2 - Using the ovenmittens, pour the melted wax(lava) directly over the surfaceof the crushed ice. This simu-lates the formation of extru-sive igneous rock.

Group 3 - Using the ovenmittens, pour the melted waxinto the warm water. Thissimulates the formation of ex-trusive igneous rock in a warm

Stone Mountain State Park. NC 3.1.8 2 4

water region, i.e. a volcanothat forms under the ocean.

Group 4 Using the ovenmittens, pour the melted waxover the"weathered sedi-ments" and the small pieces of"sedimentary" and "metamor-phic" rock from Parts B and C.This simulates lava flowingover sediments and sedimen-tary and/or metamorphic rock,as would happen in a volcaniceruption. Some of the frag-ments will melt quickly, whilethe sedimentary and the meta-morphic "rocks" will at leastpartially maintain their integ-rity. During a vdcanic erup-tion, lava will flow over andaround rocks in its path, caus-ing some to melt, while othersremain as they were originally.These rocks that are sur-rounded by lava are calledxenoliths.

Allow the pie pans and waxto cool thoroughly (about 5 to10 minutes). After the "lava"wax has cooled, the studentsshould carefully remove their"igneous rock" from the piepans. Students should makecomparisons between theigneous rock in each groups'pie pans, then draw and writetheir observations on theirwork sheet. For instance,comparisons should be made

June 1994

between the crystal sizes andshapes formed by each of thegroup's cooled magma. Com-parisons should also be madebetween these "igneous rocks"and the "sediments" and the"sedimentary and metamorphicrocks" students created in the

-previous sections of this activ-ity.

As a class be sure to discussthe following:

Using Group 1's pie pan,discuss the effect of the"magma" on the sedimentaryor metamorphic "rock" whichthe ice represents.

Using Group 2's pie pan,discuss the effect of "lava" onthe surface "sediments" and"rocks" which the ice repre-sents.

Using Group 3's pie pan,discuss the effect of the warmwater on the "lava."

Using Group 4's pie pan,discuss the effect of the "lava"tlowing directly onto the sedi-mentary and metamorphic"rock" and "sediments."

If possible, show the stu-dents various examples of realvolcanic rocks and comparethe real rocks with their "igne-ous crayon rocks." Remindthe students that most of therock visible at Stone MountainState Park is igneous in origin.These rocks formed deepwithin the earth. Most of therock is still buried, however,the process of weathering anderosion has exposed a fewscattered outcrops such asStone Mountain.

While the students are look-ing at the three types of rocks,lead a discussion on the rockcycle, focusing on the pro-cesses they observed to trans-form one rock into the next.

Have the students discuss thedifferences and similaritiesbetween their "crayon rocks"and the real rock samples.Talk about the questions yourstudents had when the activityfirst started.

Reiterate the concept of therock cycle by reminding thestudents of the "rocks" (cray-ons) that were weathered downinto "sediments", compressedinto "sedimentary rocks" andthen "metamorphic rocks" andthen melted into "igneousrocks."

It is important for everyoneto understand that not all con-ditions for rock formations canbe simulated. In fact, geolo-gists have never "seen" intru-sive rocks form. However,they are able to look at all ofthe available evidence, simu-late some of the conditions inthe laboratory, and arrive atresults similar to those foundin nature.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 3.1.9 June 1994

I. Describe and draw the "weathered sediments" that you made. Note the sizes and shapesofthe "sediments."

2. Do a colored drawing of the "rock fragments" after light pressure has compacted these"sediments" into "sedimentary rock." Describe the broken edge and the layers that are formed.

3. Do a colored drawing of the "sedimentary rock" after heavy pressure ilas compacted it into"metamorphic rock." Describe the broken edge and the layers that are formed. How have theychanged with the addition of heavy pressure?

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 3.1.10 6 June 1994

4. Do a colored drawing of each of the four "igneous rocks" created. Compare and contrast theformation of the extrusive with the intrusive "igneous rocks."

Group One's "Igneous Rock" Group Two's "Igneous Rock"

Group Three's "Igneous Rock" Group Four's "Igneous Rock"

5. Write a comparison between the "weathered rock fragments," "sedimentary rocks," meta-morphic rocks," and "igneous rocks" formed in this activity. Describe their similarities anddifferences as to color, texture, etc.

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1. Describe and draw the "weathered sediments" that you made. Note the sizes and shapes of

the "sediments."

2. Do a colored drawing of the "rock fragments" after light pressurehas compacted these"sediments" into "sedimentary rock.- Describe the broken edge and the layers that are formed.

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3. Do a colored drawing of the "sedimentary rock" after heavy pres.sure has compacted it into"metamorphic rock." Describe the broken edge and the layers that are formed. How have they

changed with the addition of heavy pressure?

26Stone Mountain State Park, NC

yellowredgreenblue

June 1994.

4. Do a colored drawing of each of the four -igneous rocks" created. Compare and contrast theformation of the extrusive with the intrusive "igneous rocks."

Group One's "Igneous Rock" Group Two's 'igneous Rock"

Group Three's "Igneous Rock" Group Four's "Igneous Rock"

5. Write a comparison between the "weathered rock fragments," "sedimentary rocks," meta-morphic rocks," and "igneous rocks" formed in this activity. Describe their similarities anddifferences as 6 color, texture, etc.

The "weathered rock fragments" will vary in size and

shape, depending on the implement used and how it is used. The "rock fragments" can be oriented

(up/down or right/left) in any direction. In the "metamorphic rocks" the space between the

fragments is very small and the orientation of "fragments" is now flattened (right/left). The thickness

is much thinner, but each layer of rock (color) can still be seen. The "igneous rock" is grayish-black

due to the melting and mixing of different "rock fragments" and has a variety of forms. dependingon

how the separate groups' rocks were cooled.

Note: The different methods of cooling are not intended to simulate real rock formations: they

do, however, give the students the understanding that different cooling conditions will create

different rocks.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC i?3.1.1 - June 1994_ ..

Curriculum Objectives:Grade 4

Communication Skills:listening, writingGuidance: competency forinteracting with othersHealthful Living: recreationalsafetyScience: weather and climate.living things - animals,adaptation to environmentSocial Studies: draw conclu-sions, participate effectivelyin group

Grade 5Communication Skills:listening, vocabulary andviewing comprehensionGuidance: competency forinteracting with othersHealthful Living: recreationalsafetyScience: earth science, livingthings - plants, environmentSocial Science: analyze infor-mation, draw conclusions

Grade 6Communication Skills: lis-tening, vocabulary and view-ing comprehension, writingGuidance: competency forinteracting with othersHealthful Living: recreationalsafetyScience; earth science, ecol-ogy, environmentSocial Studies: evaluate,organize and analyze infor-mation, draw conclusions

Location:Stone Mountain State Park

Group Size: 30 or less

Estimated Time:Part I: 1 hourPart 1 and 1/2 hours


Stone_ MountainState,Park.

Materials:Part I:Provided by the educator:Per student pencils, paper, cray-

ons, drawing markers, clip-board, "Igneous Intruder"worksheet

Provided by the park: plywoodbox, air hose, inflatable rubberball, inflation needle, bicyclepump, buckets of soil and smallrocks, watering can, water,samples of granite, hand lenses

PartProvided by the park: 15 hand

lenses

Special Considerations:Part II of this on-site activity

will require hiking, which couldexpose the students to hot, humidconditions as well as ticks, beesand snakes. Accessibility to someof these areas may be difficultfor persons with special needs.Leaders should make studentsaware that they are in a naturalarea with hazards associated withrocks, high places and water.

Major Concepts:Part I:Intrusive igneous rockErosion

PartWeatheringErosionLand useSuccession

Objectives:Part I:Describe and illustrate howStone Mountain wasformed.List three minerals thatmake up the granite ofStone Mountain.

Part II:DescriK- five factors thatcause to weather anderode.List the stages in bare rocksuccession.List three ways early set-tlers used the rocks in thisarea.


nuring this activity theL./class will see a demon-stration of how Stone Moun-tain was formed.

Instructions:1. Discuss the Student's Infor-mation. Pass around samplesof granite and have the stu-dents identify the mineralswith the hand lenses. Remem-ber that the feldspar will ap-pear white or gray, the quartzwill appear clear or glassy, andthe biotite mica will appearas black or dark specks.

2. Explain that this activitysimulates how Stone Moun-tain was formed.

3. Have a few students pourthe buckets of soil and rocksinto the plywood box. Thestudents will "build a moun-tain" about oge foot high from

these materials. (A deflatedball, covered with soil materi-als, will already be in the boxso the students can't see it. Anair hose will be connected tothe ball and run to a bicyclepump outside of the box.)Have the students draw a pic-ture of this "mountain" on the"Igneous Intruder Worksheet"in box #1.

4. After completing the"mountain building," have astudent use the watering canto pour a couple of gallonsof water on to the top of the"mountain." Notice what hap-pens here. Soil and smallerrocks are moved from oneplace to another. Have thestudents draw a picture of howthe mountain now looks inbox #2 on their worksheet.

Talk about what forces ofnature help break up and movematerials. Emphasize thatmillions of years ago the

Appalachian Mountains weremuch taller than they aretoday, but weathering anderosion have removed milesof material from them.

5. Discuss what an intrusiveigneous rock is, then havea student pump the bicyclepump. The rubber ball buriedbeneath the "mountain" willstart rising. Pumping air intothe ball represents magmaintruding into the overlyingbedrock. As the "magma"continues to intrude, the"mountain" will start to move.The soil on the "mountain"will crack and materials willbe carried down the "moun-tain." Have the students drawa picture of how the "moun-tain" now appears in box #3of their worksheets.

When resistance is feltagainst the bicycle pump,have the student stop pump-ing. At this point the hiddenball should be mostly inflated.

6. Have a student pour enoughwater on the "mountain" to ex-pose the "granite face of StoneMountain" (the ball). Have

the students draw the finalappearance of "StoneMountain" in box #4of their worksheets.

7. Have the studentsseparate and find a place

by themselves where they cansit down and complete the"Igneous Intruder Worksheet."

ParQc...,

granite3 1

It's hard to imagine, asyou stand in front of StoneMountain, that the Appala-chian Mountains may haveonce stood as tall as the mod-ern Alps or Andes Mountains,approximately .six miles higherthan the mountains we seetoday. Stone Mountain wasburied beneath much of thismountain material but becameexposed over the millionsof years by weathering anderosion.

The Appalachian Moun-tains, the oldest mountainrange in North America, tookmillions of years to form. Theseries of complex activitiesthat built this mountain rangestarted during the Ordovicianperiod, 520 million years ago.Several hundred million yearslater, during the Permian pe-riod (255 million years ago),this mountain building processreached a climax. About 390million years ago, during theDevonian period, a mass ofmagma formed several milesdeep in the Earth, below thearea of what is now Wilkesand Alleghany counties. Thismagma cooled slowly beneaththe Earth's surface, creating aplutonic batholith, a gigantic,dome-shaped rock. Magmasolidifying beneath the earth'ssurface in this way is calledintrusive igneous rock.

About 255 million yearsago, the weathering and ero-sion forces started strippingaway some of the overlying


rocks. As the miles of earthand rock overlying the newlyformed granite plutonic batho-lith were removed by erosion,the release in surface pressurecaused the rock mass to moveupward. As it expanded up-ward, it also expanded out-ward, causing the rock tofracture into large slabs, orexfoliation sheets. Therefore,Stone Mountain is commonlyreferred to as an exfoliationdome. These curved exfc.iia-tion sheets help define StoneMountain's dome shape.We can compare this tothe layering of an onion.

The granite that makes upStone Mountain is a very hard,light colored, coarse-grainedrock. It is composed of threeminerals: feldspar, quartzand biotite mica, with feldsparand quartz being predominant.Feldspar represents about 60%of the rock, quartz representsabout 30%, while biotite micarepresents about 10%. Thedull white or gray areas arefeldspar, the clear, glassy min-eral is quartz, and the black ordark specks are biotite mica.

1ML--.

bo* 71it /311e46414. ;

Draw a series of pictures illustrating how Stone Mountain formed.

Box #1 Box "2

Box #3 Box #4

Describe how granite plutonic batholiths (or exfoliation domes), like Stone Mountain, are

formed. Be sure to list the three most common minerals found in the granite at Stone

Mountain.

Explain the importance of state parks and other protected lands in preserving areas of

significant natural beauty.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC-icatitx

4.1.4 33 June 1994

I Draw a series of pictures illustrating how Stone Mountain formed. .

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Describe how granite plutonic batholiths (or exfoliation domes), like Stone Mountain, areformed. Be sure to list the three most common minerals found in the granite at Stone

Mountain. A mass of magma forms several miles deep in the Earth. This magma cools slowly beneath

thP Earth's su ace, creatin. a lutonic batholith, a :i.antic, dome-sha ed rock Weatherin: and

erosion forces start stripping away some of the overlying rocks. As the miles of earth and rock

overlying the granite plutonic batholith are removed by erosion, the release in surface pressure causes

the rock meis to move upward. As it expands upward, it also expands outward

causing the rock to fracture into large slabs, or exfoliation sheets. These curved exfoliation sheets help

define the mountain's dome shape.

Stone Mountain is composed of three minerals: feldspar, quartz and biotite mica with felds wquartz being predominant

Explain the importance of state parks and other protected lands in preserving areas ofsignificant natural beauty. With an ever growing human population, protected lands are vital in

reservin: the state's natural herita: e. While there seem to be vast areas o wild count mountains

and forests in this state, where one person sees scenic rock outcrops and trees, others see minerals for

mining and timber for cutting. It is only through setting land aside, that many of these outcrops and

trees will not be developed. State Parks .setup to and protect these scenic wild lands.

will have many of the same opportunities to en'oThrow h .:te parks, people of future generations

nature as we have.

34Stone Mountain State Park. NC .June1994-


The class will take a shorthike on the self-guided

nature trail at the base of StoneMountain to see evidence ofweathering, erosion, deposi-tion and succession. Thegroup will walk a trail overrocks, roots and water, socaution is needed to preventinjury.

Instructions:1. Discuss basic trail safetyinformation with the students(see Special Considerations).Remind the students that thepurpose of the state parks sys-tem is to preserve and protectour natural resources. Explainto them that they should notpick injure or destroy anyplants or animals, and rocksshould not be removed fromthe park2. Discuss the Student's Infor-mation with the class beforearriving at the park. For eachstop, have one of the studentsread aloud that stop's informa-tion as the rest of the classlooks for and identifies the ob-jects and processes described.

Stop 1: Field at base ofStone Mountain(read aloud)

This field is a pasture cre-ated by early settlers. It ismaintained by the park to helppreserve the cultural past andprovide a vista of the moun-tain for visitors. Look at thesurface of the field. Notice themounds and shallow ditChesthat were used to control thedirection and force of runningwater to help prevent erosion.Deer and rabbits use the fieldas a food source and can oftenbe seen grazing here.

As you look at the south-facing slope of Stone Moun-tain, notice the shape of therock and the trees growing onit. Also, notice the Great Arch,which was formed when partof the mountain's rock exfoli-ated.

The trees you see growingon the mountain are part of anever ending cycle called barerock succession. First, a shal-

low depression forms, due toweathering and erosion. Next,sand and soil are washed orblown into the weathered pit.Mosses and grasses start growing in the collected soil, help-ing to hold moisture and add-ing organic material whichenriches the soil. Over time,more soil accumulates andeventually, if the soil is richand deep enough, trees andshrubs are able to survive. Asthe trees get tiler and moretop heavy, winds will some-times blow them over, for theyare not deeply rooted. The soilmat is lifted out by the tree'sroots and then is often washedaway. The whole processof building up the soil in theweathered pit then starts overagain.

The plants that live in theseweathered depressions have tocontend with desert-like condi-tions. The soil is often sandyand poor in nutrients, just likedesert soils. Most of the timethe soil is very dry because of

-AraghernitL,p2oL

Stpne Mountain state Park, NC 4.1.6 35 June 1994

rapid evaporation of the mois-ture by wind and sun. Theplants also have to adapt tohigh light intensity caused bythe reflection of sunlight offthe rock. The rock surfacetemperature in summer oftenexceeds 100 degrees F. Thesedesert-like conditions placethe plants under a lot of stress,causing them to grow moreslowly than identical speciesgrowing in a better habitat.The trees growing on the rockare often stunted and gnarledfrom the harsh environment.This gives them a "bonsai"character which is both intrigu-ing and beautiful.

Stop 2: Climbing DisplayExhibit(read aloud)

Granite boulders of variousshapes and sizes are scatteredeverywhere. All these rocksbroke off Stone Mountain andtumbled down. This matureforest growing among theboulders is very di-Verse, con-taining many different speciesof trees.

The dominant oak hereis the chestnut oak. It com-monly grows on rocky slopes,where precipitation drainsaway quickly, leaving the soilvery dry most of the time.Almost all the larger chestnutoaks are hollow, providinghomes for many animals,including woodpeckers,nuthatches, owls, squirrels,raccoons, opossums, insects,mice and snakes.


While the students are look-ing at the Climbing Display, goover the information givenhere. Explain the park's rulesand regulations regarding rockclimbing.

Stop 3: Practice Rocks(read aloud)

The first rock has a slantedsurface where we can practicefriction climbing. StoneMountain is famous amongclimbers as one of the bestfriction climbing mountainsin the southeast. The secondpractice rock has shallow in-dentations in the rock, calledlentils, that can be used forhandholds and footholds.

Next is the balanced rock.The top surface of the bottomrock has black moss growingon it. The firmly anchoredmoss obviously needs no soil,just the rough rock surface.It is slowly breaking downthis rock with its small roots,the acid produced by itsdecaying leaves, and itsability to hold moisturelonger after a rain than if therock surface were bare.tice the small rock materialon top of the bottom rockat the base of the balancedrock. 'tills sandy materialcomes from the balancedrock as it erodes away. It isa slow but steady process.The surface of the balancedrock is rough and bumpy dueto this weathering process.

Have the students practiceclimbing these two bouldersto let them experience howdifficult rock climbing can beand what granite rock feelslike. Have several studentspush up on the balanced rock.They will get an appreciationof just how heavy granite is,as they will not be able tomove the rock at all. As thestudents hike to Stop 4, justoff the nature trail at the baseof the mountain, call their at-tention to the number of treesgrowing on top of the rocks.

Stop 4: Base of StoneMountain(read aloud)

Over time, many of therocks at thy; base of the moun-tain have become rounded bythe rain water pouring off ofStone Mountain: The round-ing of the stone is caused pri-marily by the sandy particles

3 64.1.7 June 1994

carried by the rainwater flow-ing off Stone Mountain. Theparticles act like sand blasterson the rocks at the mountain'sbase.

Off to the right, there is acrack going straight up therock which has grass, calledbroomsedge, growing out of it.Notice the birch tree with mostof its roots exposed on top ofthe rock. This shows howadaptable some plants can be.

Have the students lean for-ward and touch the rock. Howdoes it feel? Cold or hot?Rough or smooth?

Return to the Nature Trailby the same route.

Stop 5: Threshing Rock(Have the students sit on

the "threshing" rock and readaloud.)

Years ago, this was a placewhere local famers threshedthe wheat, rye, oats, buck-wheat, barley, peas and beansthey harvested. To thresh thegrain, they would separate theseeds from the rest of the plantby using a flail, made froma hickory sapling. The grainwas then stored and used forfood. The straw was usedfor livestock feed, placed instables or used to fill mattressticks. The threshing rock wasalso used to separate the cerealgrains from the lighter chaff:or husk. The grain was tossedup into the air using a bedsheet. The wind would blowaway the chaff, leaving theheavier seed kernels to fallback onto the sheet. This pro-cess is called winnowing.

Farmers also used rocks inthe area for building fences,chimneys and support pillarsto keep wooden structuresaway from termites and therotting effect of moist soil.Many of these structures canstill be seen at old home sitesscattered throughout the park.

Stop 6: Rock Exfoliating(read aloud)

Notice the red maple thathas produced a burl in re-sponse to being blown backand forth against the rockboulder. Red maples are themost widely distributed de-ciduous trees in the forests ofeastern North America. Theycan be found in habitats from

dry, rocky mountain slopessuch as this one, to bot-

',tomland swamps andmaritime forests.


The red maple gets its namefrom the many parts of the treethat are red, including its flow-ers, winter twigs, buds and fallleaf color.

Just beyond this tree is aboulder with an exfoliated slabof rock. This chunk of rockhas been broken loose by icewedging. Water that freezeseach winter behind this rockis pushing the slab away fromthe boulder. Gravity is alsohelping pull this rock slabslowly down the boulder.

Stop 7: Rock Weathering(read aloud)

The odd pockets in theseboulders show the strangeshape that weathering can pro-duce. Why the pockets areshaped this way is unknown.Perhaps the rocks' matrix ofminerals is not as stronglyheld together as that of otherboulders. For example, if therocks had a higher concentra,tion of potassium and magne-sium, they would be moresusceptible than other rocksto chemical weathering bycarbonic acid, which is alwayspresent in rainwater. Notethat the sediments which havesloughed off can be seen onthe ground at the base of therock.

Stop 8: Rock Moss andRoot Wedging(read aloud)

The flat rock in front of youis covered with moss. Similarto Stop 3, this mess is helpingto slowly weather this rock.

374.1.8 June 1994

The boulder behind this flatrock shows that tree roots alsoplay a role in breaking rocksapart. Walk up to the rock andyou will see two large cracksfilled with two types of treeroots. The roots of the large,old, dead tree that grew on topof the rock can be seen in thecracks, along with the rootsof the young red maple that isstill alive and growing on topof this boulder. The olderroots are dead and fill the bot-tom of the crack completely,whereas the live roots of themaple can be seen on top ofthe dead roots. The older tree'sroots widened the cracks sothat now the maple's roots willhave more room to grow. Thelive tree also benefits fromthe nutrients released from thedecaying dead tree. Perhapsthis maple will grow into alarge tree as well, with its rootsfurther widening the cracks.When it dies perhaps anothertree seed will land on top ofthis rock, grow into a large treeand its roots will continue theprocess of breaking this rockapart.

Stop 9: Spring (read aloud)Water falling from the sky

in its many forms either evapo-rates, runs off the land intobodies of water, or is absorbedinto the ground. Once in theground, the water seeps intocracks in rocks, creating awater table. People who livein the country often get waterfrom wells which are drilledinto these rocks.

Springs are also a source ofwater. A spring occurs whenthe water table reaches-theland's surface. The water in awater table generally containsminerals, such as iron or cop-per. that have leached from therocks.

The average temperatureof water coming from a springin this area is 55 degrees F.Before electrical refrigeration,mountain families often builta stone structure around aspring, called a "spring house,"where they would store foodto keep it cool.

Stop 10: Delta Valley(read aloud)

This small, relatively flatdelta has been made from soilthat washed here from thesteep hollow above. All thewater that flows through thishollow is an example of awatershed. A watershed is anarea between two ridges whereall the precipitation-that fallsthere flows to one place, likea stream, rivet, lake or ocean.Look for any areas wheredeposition is occurring. Areall the deposited materials thesame size and shape? Whatare be the primary erosionalforces causing the deposition?(Running water and gravity.)

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 4.1.938

Stop 11: Ridge Top(read aloud)

The soil on this ridge isricher and deeper than the soilfound in the boulder area Thewhite oaks growing here areevidence of this, for they re-quire better soil than chestnutoaks do, which dominate theboulder area. This ridge alsodivides two small watersheds.

Stop 12: Creek Con-vergence(read aloud)

Several small creeks orstreams come together in thisarea, forming a small marsh.The ground is squishy underfoot. Ferns and sphagnummoss grow very well here.Sphagnum moss can hold tentimes its weight in water. Thischaracteristic, and the fact thatit is naturally sterile, is why themoss was once used to dresswounds on battlefields.

Look at the rocks in thewater. Are they all the same?How do the rocks in the streamdiffer from the boulders justseen? Along the stream, noticeall the quartz sand that hasweathered and eroded fromStone Mountain. The dull,whitish gravel is the mineralfeldspar. Using a hand lens,see if you can find small,glassy pieces of sand (quartz),black flakes (biotite mica),and whitish flakes (biotitemica that has absorbed water).The quartz sand is the mostresistant mineral here, and isthe only one durable enoughto be carried by streams andrivers all the way to the ocean.

June 1994

Stop 13: Gravel Trail(read aloud)

As we start back along thetrail through the field, lookfor signs of erosion. Whathas caused the trail to erode?Could it be something assimple as people hiking thetrail? Thousands of hikers usethis trail every year, creatingan impact on the trail's surfaceWhich speeds up erosion bycompressing the soil. Thisresults in rainwater not beingabsorbed, but running offquickly, creating gullies. Toslow down the erosion, thepark staff has put in waterbars, which are shallow ditchescrossing the trail at an angle.These bars divert water from

the trail before it can build upenough speed and force togouge out gullies. The parkstaff has also put down gravelto increase traction so peopledon't slip, and to lessen thecompaction on the soil.

Even though this trailshows erosion and compactionproblems, it is still very impor-tant to stay on the trail. Theerosion damage would be fargreater if all the hikers wereto scatter across this area. Bykeeping on the trail, the impactcan at least be localized andmonitored.

Stop 14: Stone MountainVista

Once you reach the openfield, review what you've

learned about:

bare rock succession pro-cesses;

uses of rocks by earlyEuropean settlers to the region,compared to how we use therocks today; and

weathering and erosionforces, using at least five ex-amples from the hike.

Suggested Extensions:1. Hike the other trails in thepark, especially the one goingacross the top of Stone Moun-tain and the trail across WolfRock.

2. Once the group has returnedto school, take a short walkaround the school groundslooking for signs of weatheringand erosion. Discuss whatforces cause the erosion theysee. Also discuss ways peoplecan help slow down the ero-sion. The class may even findan erosion problem they can

correct as aclass project.


394. 1 . 10 June 1994

We have briefly discussedweathering and erosion,but we will now take a muchcloser look at these forces.Stone Mountain and otherrock outcrops in this area arepart of a large granite plutonformed deep within the earth'scrust millions of years ago.The exposed outcrops cameabout due to geologic distur-.banes and general erosion or"wear and tear agents."

When we think of rock, wethink of a material that is veryhard, almost indestructible.When we think of mountains,we think of massive featuresthat are unchanging. This isn'tat all the case. All landfomtson Earth, from mountains toriver valleys to the coastline,are constantly changing. Assome landforms are slowlyworn away, new ones arebuilding up.

Two forces, weathering anderosion, constantly wear awayat the rocks that make up theEarth's crust. Weatheringcauses rocks to crack, brag-meat, crumble or break downby physical and/or chemicalmeans. Erosion loosens andcarries away the rock piecesproduced by weathering. Overmillions of years these twoforces, working together, havechanged our land and will con-tinue to do so millions of yearsinto the future.

Weathering:All rocks weather, but not

at the same rate. Some rockswill weather much faster thanothers. The ma's mineralsdetermine the rate at which itweathers. Climatic factors,such as rainfall, also play arole.

There are four weatheringfactors that we will focus on:

1. The Freeze and CrackCycle: When water runs intocracks in rocks and freezes,the ice expands. When the iceexpands, it needs more roomso it pushes against the rock,exerting great amounts offorce and pressure. This even-tually causes the rock to break

art.2. The Hot-Cold Cycle: Thedaily change in temperaturefrom cool nights to warm daysalso causes expansion and con-traction which will cause rocksto crack and break apart.

3. The Roots of Destruction:Plants play a role in breakingrocks apart. As small amountsof soil gather in rock cracks,seeds, deposited there bywinds, birds and other animals,

40Stone Mountain State Park, NC 4.1.11

start to grow. As a plant'sroots expand into the cracks,they put pressure against therock. This forces the cracks towiden, eventually splitting therock apart.

4. Chemical Breakdown:Some minerals change as theyreact with the chemicals in airand water. Dead and decayingmatter such as leaf litter formshumic acid. Even rain wateris acidic. These acids helpweather rock.

Not all minerals react tochemicals in the same way.Irregularly rounded depres-sions, called weathering pits,pockmark the surface of StoneMountain. These weatheringpits form when some mineralsweather more rapidly than Oh.-ers. Water, with its carbonicacid, collects in these pits,causing additional &mindweathering.

Without weathering, wecouldn't survive. As rocksare continually broken downinto smaller parts, they eventu-ally become fine enough to becalled silt or sand, two veryimportant ingredients of soil.This soil is essential to our

,401:,111W,63,.. survival.

June 1994

Erosion:Erosion involves forces

that continue the work startedby weathering. Erosion helpsto loosen particles and moveweathered rock material.There are five erosion forceswe will focus on:

1. Moving water: Water doesmore to wear away our landthan all other geologic forcescombined. A fast flowingstream will carry a lot morethan just water. Soil, sand, siltand rocks can all be carried byfast flowing water. Notice astream after a hard rain andyou will see erosion in action.

2. Wind: Wind erodes by lift-ing and removing dry, fineparticles which are sand-sizedor smaller.

3. Ice: Ice is the one force oferosion that we don't see muchof in our area of the world. Inthe colder regions, snow maypile up hundreds of feet thick,forming a great sheet of ice

a glacier. Glaciersfrom past ice ages have shapedmuch of the world's land-scapes. There is evidence thatin the last ice age, glaciers mayhave been present in some ofthe northern-facing NorthCarolina mountain valleys.

4. Gravity: Gravity movesweathered rocks, especially'on steep slopes. The bouldersat the base of Stone Mountaintumbled here after being exfo-liated from the rock above.An analogy to exfoliation ispeeling the layers of an onion.

5. People: People constantlymodify the landscape. We cutthe forests and scrape off thesoil, drain swamps, fill in wet-lands and strip mine for miner-als; we build houses, shoppingcenters, landfills, farms andwhatever else we feel we need.We often do this without think-ing of the irreparable damagewe hai,e caused. The land,once cleared, is open to theerosional forces of water and

wind. All the changes peoplemake to the Earth's surfaceaffect the natural patterns ofweathering, erosion anddeposition.

As weathering and erosionconstantly wear away ourEarth's crust, other forces areat work building it up. Moun-tains, volcanoes and faults areformed as rocks are pushedup, warped, folded or fractureddue to great force and pressuredeep within the Earth. Water,wind and ice can also build upareas by carrying sediments,which are produced by weath-ering and erosion, and dump-ing them in another area. Thisbuildup, or deposition, createsnew landforms.

Mountains are created andleveled, valleys dug out andfilled in, seas born and dried todust. The Earth is constantlychangingnothing remainsunchanged but the agents ofchange themselves.

't 1.1 Xa7.1/F,/ //7..."-= -

Nr,


I

Cuririculum Objectives:Grade 4

Communication Skills:listening, reading, vocabularyand viewing comprehension,study skills using environ-mental sourcesGuidance: competency forinteracting with othersMathematics: solve problemsin time and measurementSocial Studies: gather, orga-nize and analyze information,draw conclusions, participateeffectively in groups

Grade 5Communication Skillslistening, reading, vocabularyand viewing comprehension,study skills using environ-mental sourcesGuidance: competency andskill for interacting withothersScience: earth scienceMathematics: whole num-bers, measurementSocial Science: organize andanalyze information, drawconclusions, participateeffectively in groups

Grade 6Communication Skills:listening, reading, vocabularyand viewing comprehension,study skills using envinm- .

mental sourcesGuidance: competency forinteracting with others,variety and complexity ofoccupationsMathematics: whole num-bets, measurementScience: earth scienceSocial Studies: evaluate,organize and analyze infor-mation, draw conclusions

Location: Classroom

Group Size:30 students, class size

Estimated Time:2 - 3 class periods


Materials:Provided by the educator:

A 65' long continuous stripof 24" wide paper, yard stickor tape measure, magic mark-ers or crayons, tape, scissors,reference books on fossils andlife during the various geo-logic t:me periods

Per student: "Events inGeologic History" fact sheet,"Geologic Time" fact sheet

Major Concepts:Geologic timeGeologic history

Objectives:Conceptualize geologictime using a mural model.Identify three different timeperiods from the beginningof the Earth until thepresent time.List one characteristic foreach of the three timeperiods.Name the time periodand era we live in now.

2Stone Mountain State Park, NC 5.1.1


eology is the science ofkJ the Earth and its history.When we study geologic his-tory, we find that water invadedthe land, layers of sedimentwere deposited, the land waspushed up into mountains, andeventually wind, rain and iceleveled the land again. Thissequence has been repeatedmany times throughout theEarth's history.

It is difficult for most of usto understand the concept ofgeologic time. Because wetend to regard events usinga time scale of hours, days,months and years, it is easy tounderestimate the vast amountof time covered during erassuch as the Precambrian.

By creating a visual model,the students should begin tomore clearly understand thebroad scope of geologic time.

June 1994

Figure A

ft

24"

16"

Instructions:1. Starting near the classroomdoor, run a continuous strip ofpaper along the wall aroundthe room. (Note: If the cir-cumference of the classroomis less than 65 feet, spiral thepaper around the room.)

2. Using a yardstick and ablack marker or crayon, havethe students draw a continuousline, three inches up from thebottom of the paper, alongthe entire length of the paper.

3. Have the students draw asecond continuous line, withthe marker or crayon and yard-stick, 16 inches above the firstline.

4. Three inches above the linedrawn in step 3, have the stu-dents make another continuous

Figure B

line. After steps 1 through 4,the paper should look similarto Figure A.

5. Using the'magic marker orcrayon, have the students place390 marks, two inches apart,on the paper below the bottomline. Have them label the marksby 10 mya rears Ago)intervals, giving a total repre-sentation of 3,900 millionyears. This works out wellas the oldest rock on earth is3,800 million years old;3,900 million = 3.9 billion.

Marks for one-half millionyears ago (0.5 mya) and then1 mya through 9 mya shouldalso be written in between0 and 10 mya. After step 5,the paper should look likeFigure B.

6. This geologic time activityprovides information on 16periods and epochs. Dividethe class into 15 teams. (Thismay mean that some "teams"consist of just one student.)The whole class will be re-sponsible for depicting thePrecambrian period after theother periods and epochs havebeen portrayed.

Each team should beassigned an epoch or periodfrom the "Geologic Time"fact sheet. The team is respon-sible for finding their period orepoch on the time scale muraland marking it off with verticallines, being sure to label thetime periods (Figure C). Theywill illustrate what animalsand plants lived during theirperiod or epoch.

.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30


Stone Mountain State Paik, NC 5.1.2

40

June 1994

Figure C

Cenozoic EraPliocene Epoch Miocene Epoch Oli

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30

Those students workingwithin the 0 to 10 mya scale(the most recent epochs) willnot have room within their twoinches to place all the illustra-tions. They should connecttheir illustrations to the time-line with arrows to indicatewhere their illustrations fit intothe main scale on the paper.

The students may have todo some independent researchif they are not familiar with theanimals and plants found intheir time period or epoch.After step 6 the mural shouldresemble Figure D.

7. In the space remaining onthe mural, fill in various eventsin time over the appropriateyears. Depict on the muralevents such as when the rocksand geologic formations of

Figure D

millions of years agotheir area formed. Drawpictures with markers and/orcrayons to illustrate the events.Use the "Events in GeologicHistory" fact sheet and libraryreferences as a guide.

8. After completing the timeline mural, stress that whenstudying geology, it is oftendifficult to determine absoluteages. Therefore, geologiststise geologic eras and periodswhen discussing the Earth'shistory rather than calendardates. This mural illustratesthe vast number of years ourearth's history covers.

9. Compare the students' lifehistorys (years of age) with thehistory and age of the Earth,and with the age of the rocksand geologic formations oftheir area. Be sure to note

Cenozoic EraPliocene Epoch

what era and time period welive in.

Extensions:1. Using reference books, en-cyclopedias, field guides, etc.,search for other earth historyevents not listed in the "EventsIn Geologic History" fact sheetand include them in the mural.Events such as the Ice Ages,formation of mountain rangeslike the Appalachians, the com-ing of humans to the Americas,etc., might be used.

2. Each team could give anoral report to the class abouttheir period or epoch, usingtheir portion of the mural as avisual prop. (Just to give yousome ideas, past teams havewritten poems, performedplays and rap songs on theirperiod or epoch.)

Miocene Epoch Oli


3Stone Mountain State Park, NC June 1 ''4

Cenozoic65 present

EpochsHolocene

Quaternary 0.01 - present2 present Pleistocene

1.8 0.01Pliocene.

5 1.8

MioceneTertiary 26 5

65 2 Oli ocene

Mesozoic225 65

Paleozoic570 225

Precambrian Eon

Cretaceous136 65

Jurassic190 136

'flriassic225 190

Permian280 225

Pennsylvanian325 280

Mississipian345 325

Devonian395 345

Silurian430 395

Ordovician500 430

Cambrian570 500

Stone Mountain_Statepark, NS .5.12,4 5

Eocene54 37.5

Palaeocene65 54

Figures indicatemillions of years ago

June 1994

°0 I I'

Time is an extremelyimportant concept in geology.Geologic time includes all thetime that has occurred sincethe formation of the earth anestimated 4.6 billion years ago.These 4.6 billion years havebeen broken down into differ-ent eons, eras, periods andepochs based on the life formsthat were inhabiting the Earthat the time. All of time isdivided into two eons: Precam-brian and Phanerozoic. ThePrecambrian Eon lasted fromthe formation of the earth untilthe time when fossils becameabundant in the rocks. ThePhanerozoic Eon has beendivided into three eras. Eachof the eras is further subdi-vided into periods. Each of theperiods is further subdividedinto epochs. Each of the unitsof geologic time is character-ized by different environmen-tal conditions and specifickinds of life that flourished.Often, the boundaries betweenthe geologic time periods wmarked by mass extinctions.Scientists are using recordsthat are preserved in rocks toput together a history of ourplanet.

Precambrian Eon4.6 billion years ago to 570million years ago

This is the longest divisionof Earth's history, representingabout 87% of the 4.6 billionyears that the Earth has ex-isted. The rocks laid down


during the Precambrian Eonform the cores of today's conti-nents. The very first, extremelysimple forms of life started toevolve about 3.4 billion yearsago. Life on Earth began assimple, one-celled organisms,like blue-green algae. Thisalgae used carbon dioxide andsunlight as energy sources.However, its waste product,oxygen, enabled the evolutionof more complex life. Sponges,soft corals, jellyfish andannelid worms also evolvedduring the Precambrian Eon.

Phanerozoic Eon570 million years ago to thepresent

Paleozoic Era"Age of Ancient Life"

570 million to 225 millionyears ago

Cambrian Period570 to 500 million years ago

This period marks the firstappearance of fossil shells. Themost common shelled animalof this time was the trilobite.Trilobites were probably scav-engers on the floor of theocean. All life lived in theocean during this period, be-cause the Earth's atmospherehad not yet developed to pro-tect the land from the ultravio-let radiation of the sun. Alongwith the trilobites, there weresponges, brachiopods and gas-

46

tropods (one-shelled molluskslike whelks). At the end of theCambrian Period, there was amass extinction of 75% of allthe trilobite families, 50% ofthe sponge families and manyof the brachiopods and gastro-pods. No one knows whatcaused this extinction.

Ordovician Period500 to 430 million years ago

A few very primitive plantsevolved to live on land duringthis period. However, mostlife forms were still evolvingin the oceans. Bivalves, likeclams and oysters, developedduring the Ordovician Period,along with most of the otherinvertebrate (without a back-bone) animals. Starfish, brittlestars, hard corals and crinoidswere some of these inverte-brates. Very primitive, jawlessfishes also developed duringthis period. Fish are one kindof vertebrate, or animal with abackbone. There was a massextinction at the end of thisperiod. Many of the remainingtrilobites and some of thesponges and early fish wentextinct.

Silurian Period430 to 395 million years ago

This period is marked bythe development of extensivecoral reefs. No new majorforms of life developed duringthis period. All of the life thathad already evolved continued

June 19'4

to flourish with the exceptionof the trilobite which continuedto become rarer. There mayhave been millipedes and scor-pions beginning to live on theland.

Devonian Period395 to 345 million years ago

This period is called the Ageof Fishes because the early,primitive forms of fish reallymultiplied and diversified.Sharks, rays and bony fishesdeveloped during this period.One was the giant, 30 foot longfish called the Dunkleosteus.It did not have any teeth, butthe bones in its jaw were assharp as knives. Other inverte-brates began to live in freshwater during this period. Thefirst amphibians, animals thatlive part of their life in waterand part on land, evolved.The first forests, with gianthorsetails and tree ferns, wereformed ddring the DevonianPeriod. The first seed-bearingplants also evolved then. Massextinction marked the end ofthis period. About 25% of allspecies went extinct.

Mississippian Period:345 to 325 million years ago

During this period almost allof North America was coveredby oceans. Crinoids, featherstars and sea lilies flourishedin the oceans dur-ing this period.The trilobitescontinued todecline.

Pennsylvanian Period:325 to 280 million years ago

The 45 million years of thePennsylvanian period were atime of mountain building andthe loss of many of the shallowseas. As a result, many ofthe marine species declined.However, the first insects andreptiles evolved. In fact, thelargest insect that ever lived,a dragonfly with a wingspanof 29," lived during this time.Most of the land was coveredwith swampy forests. Conifersfirst developed during thePennsylvanian Period.

Permian Period:280 to 225 million years ago

During the 55 million yearsof the Permian Period, the ma-rine invertebrates specializedinto many different forms.The ginko tree first appeared.Reptiles and amphibians con-tinued to develop. One ofthe most important groups ofreptiles from this period wasthe pelycosaurs. They had tall,sail-like projections from the;.,backs that were supported byspines out of their backbone.The pelycosaur probably usedits sail to help heat and coolits body. The pelycosaurswere the ancient forerunnersof mammals. The PermianPeriod ended with the most .

severe of all mass extinctions-96% of all species were lost.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 5.1.6

47

Mesozoic Eta:'Time of Middle Life"

225 to 65 million years ago

Triassic Period:.225 to 193 million years ago

At the beginning of theTriassic Period, there was verylittle marine life left after themass extinction that endedthe Permian Period. The firstmodern corals developed. Theentire Mesozoic Era is knownas.the Age of Reptiles becausethe reptiles developed to domi-nate the air, land and sea. Thefirst dinosaurs appeared nearthe end of the Triassic. Thesedinosaurs were the saurichianswhich walked on two feet andhad stabbing teeth. Crocodilesalso appeared in the end ofthe Triassic Period. Lizards,turtles and marine reptiles, likethe plesiosaurs, also evolved inthe Triassic. Finally, the firstmammal, a small mouse-likeanimal that ate insects, evolved.The Triassic ended with a massextinction in which 25% of allspecies went extinct.

Jurassic Period:190 to 136 million years ago

Oysters, crabs, lobsters, seaurchins and shrimps developedin the oceans. The stegosaurusand the pterosaurs, flying rep-tiles, appeared during this time.The mammals were still quitesmall, but more diverse. TheJurassic Period marks the evo-lution of the first bird. Insectscontinued to become morediverse.

June 1994

Cretaceous Period:136 to 65 million years ago

The Cretaceous Periodwas one of the longest periods,lasting 70 million years.Much of the land was coveredby shallow seas. Pterosaurs,the flying reptiles, becamemore specialized. Some ofthe Cretaceous Period dino-saurs include tyrannosaurs,ankylosaurs and the duck-billed dinosaurs. floweringplants, bees and butterfliesalso evolved during this time.The end of the CretaceousPeriod was also the end of theMeSozoic Era and was markedby a mass extinction, secondonly to the extinction thatmarked the end of the PermianPeriod. All of the dinosaurswent extinct, along with ma-rine reptiles, pterosaurs, manycorals, sponges and othermarine invertebrates.

Cenozoic Era:"Time of Recent Life"

65 million years to present

Tertiary Period:65 to 2 million years ago

Paleocene Epoch:


Much more dry land wasexposed as the seas dried upduring the Paleocene or "oldrecent life" epoch. The entireTertiary Period is known as theAge of Mammals because ofthe development of many dif-ferent kinds of mammals dur-ing the 63 million years of the

period. Along with the devel-opment of hoofed mammals,rodents and squirrel-like pri-mates on land, sharks werevery abundant in the oceans.

Eocene Epoch:


Eocene means the dawn ofrecent life. Mammals contin-ued to diversify giving rise towhales, sea cows, bats, earlyhorses, tapirs and rhinoceroses.

Oligocene Epoch:


Oligocene means "fewrecent (kinds of life)." Dogs,rats, camels, cats and pigs allmultiplied during this time.Sloths, armadillos and guineapigs also evolved.

Miocene Epoch:


The "less recent" epochlasted for 19 million years.Saber-toothed cats, elephants,apes, monkeys, giraffes andcattle are some of the mam-mals that evolved and multi-plied during this epoch.

Pliocene Epoch:


The vegetation of the Plio-cene was much like today's.Australopithecines, the ances-

Stone Mountain State Park. NC 5.1 -_7 48

tors of humans, evolved duringthe Pliocene. The mammalsthat had evolved during theother epochs continued tomultiply and spread through-out the earth.

Quaternary Period:2 million years ago to thepresent

Pleistocene Epoch:

2 million to 10,000 years ago

There were at least fourglacial advances during thePleistocene Epoch, or IceAges. Most notably duringthis epoch, Homo sapiens, orhumans, evolvedprobably inAfrica. During the Ice Ages,wooly mammoths, mastodonsand wooly rhinoceroses werecommon. During the warmerperiods, giant ground sloths,saber-toothed cats, lions,wolves, bison, camels, cattleand horses were common.Many of the large mammalswent extinct at the end of thisepoch. Some scientists thinkthat it may have been due tohunting by the early humans,but no one knows for sure.

Holocene Epoch:

10,000 years ago to the present

The climate of the presentepoch is much wanner thanthe climate of the Ice Ages.Humans are playing a greaterrole in causing extinctions,particularly in the rain forestregions of the world. Manyscientists feel that another iceage will likely start within afew thousand years.

June,1994

Millions of Years Ago

4000 4-4-1- Planet formed.

4000 By now, the earth has relatively stable crust withoceans and primitive atmosphere.

3800 Age of some of the oldest rocks on the earth's surface

today.

3400 Primitive single cell life appears.

1700 Sediment is deposited in area that becomes NorthCarolina.

850 Iapetus Sea develops in area that becomes NorthCarolina.

570 First animals with shells appear in oceans; CambrianPeriod begins.

500 Ordovician Period begins.

460 Layers of rock under Iapetus Sea are folded andbent.

440 Land begins to rise above sea. Immediately erosionbegins and still continues today.

430 Silurian Period begins.

408 Due to movement of the earth's crust, Iapetus-Sea isdestroyed.

400 Plants are thriving on land above the sea; first landanimals appear.

395 Devonian Period begins; granite batholite formswhat later will be Stone Mountain.

380 Insects are common.

345 Mississippian Period begins.

325 Pennsylvanian Period begins.

300 Reptiles appear.

280 True dragonflies are present; Permian Period begins.

230 Final building of Appalachian Mountains.

225 Early dinosaurs; Triassic Period begins.

208 Age of Dinosaurs.

200 First mammals.

1.90 Jurassic Period begins.

136 Cretaceous Period begins.

78 Modern fish appear.

70 Dinosaurs become extinct; Rocky Mountains pushedup.

65 Paleocene Epoch begins.

60 Age of Mammals begins; first hoofed mammals andprimates appear.

54 Eocene Epoch begins.

37.5 Oligocene Epoch begins.

26. Miocene Epoch begins.

A 9Stone Mountain State Park, NC 5.1.8 June 1994

5. Pliocene Epoch begins.1.8 Pleistocene Epoch begins.1 Time of Ice Ages.100,000 yrs ago Neanderthal people walk the Earth.40,000 yrs ago Homo Sapiens (modem people) appear.30,000 yrs ago People first cross over to North America.20,000 yrs ago Physical evolution of humans as we know them today

is complete.15,000 yrs ago Ice sheets still cover most of North America.11,000 yrs ago The last glacial advance retreats; recent epoch begins.10,000 yrs ago Groups of people in North America begin to settle

down in villages.0 Present time.

50

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 5. 1.9 June 1994

Batholith A large plutonic mass, at leastpartially igneous, that has more than 40 squaremiles (100 square kilometers) of surfaceexposure and no known floor.

Chemical weathering - The erosion orwearing down of a rock and its minerals bychemical reactions which change the identitiesof the minerals.

Compaction - The process or state of beingpressed together: compacted.

Continental plates - Granitic (granite) plateson which the continents ride. When theseplates collide, they push up mountains andcreate metamorphic rock because of thepressure of the collision.

Crystal - A solid mass of mineral, having acrystalline structure: a regular geometric shapebounded by smooth, flat surface (crystal faces).

Decay To decompose; rot.

Deposition - Process by which materials,carried by the agents-of erosion, are droppedelsewhere.

Earth's crust A rigid shell only about 30miics thick, less than one hundredth of thedistance to the Earth's center. Eight elementsaccount for almost 99% of the Earth's crust:oxygen (46.7%), silicone (27.7%), aluminum(8.1%), iron (5.1%), calcium (3.7%), sodium(2.8%), potassium (2.6%) and magnesium(2.1%).

Erosion The group of natural processesincluding weathering, dissolution, abrasion,corrosion and transportation, by which soil orrock material is removed from any part of theEarth's surface to another.

Exfoliation An erosional process in rockswhere parts of the rock flake or come off inlayers.

Stone Mountain State Park, NC 6. I

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Extrusive igneous rocks Rocks formed onthe Earth's surface by the cooling of moltenmagma material originating within the Earth'scrust. Once magma reaches the surface it iscalled lava.

Fault A fracture in the Earth's crust alongwhich rocks on one side have been displacedrelative to rocks on the other side.

Flail - A manual threshing device consistingof a long, wooden handle or staff and a shorter,free- swinging stick attached to one end. It wasused to strike or beat grain to separate thegrain from the rest of the plant.

Folding To bend over or double up so thatone part lies on another part.

Fossils - The remains or indications of anorganism that lived in the geologic past.

Geology The scientific study of the origin,history and structure of the Earth.

Geologic process The breaking down andbuilding up of rocks, such as weathering,erosion, sedimentation and volcanic action;the phenomena of how the earth is shaped.

Granite - An intrusive igneous rock with verycourse grains composed of quartz, feldspar anddark minerals such as mica.

Igneous rocks Rocks formed by the coolingof molten magma.

Intrusive igneous rocks Molten igneousrocks that force their way into the surroundingrock and solidify below the Earth's surface.

Lava - Molten rock (magma) that is forced outof a volcano or out of cracks in the Earth'scrust and onto its surface.

Leaching - Process by which water dissolvesand carries away minerals.

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Limestone -A sedimentary rock that consistsmainly of calcium carbonate.

Magma - Molten rock deep within the Earthfrom which igneous rock is formed.

Mantle - In geology, the layer of the Earthbetween the crust and the core.

Mechanical weathering - The erosion orbreakdown of rock into particles withoutchanging the identities of the minerals in therocks; ice is the most important agent:

Metamorphic rocks - Rocks that havechanged both physically and chemically due toincreases in pressure and temperature, andchemically active solutions.

Metamorphosis - A transformation, a markedchange in appearance or condition.

Mica A mineral family easily recognized byits dark colors and its capacity to be split easilyinto characteristic thin, pearly sheets.

Mica schist - A layered metamorphic rockgenerally containing noticeable mica minerals.It appears shiny

Mineral - A solid, naturally occurring blendof elements having a fairly uniform chemicalcomposition and a constant set of physicalproperties, including a crystalline shape.

Organic - Of, pertaining to, or derived fromliving organisms.

Outcrop - An area of exposed rock. Examplesare road cuts, stream beds, quarries and natu-rally occurring rocky areas.

Plutonic rock - Coarse-textured rocks formeddeep within the earth with igneous or meta-morphic origins.

Quartz - A hard crystallinemineral made of silicondioxide, Si02.

. Resistant - Rocks or minerals that weather anderode more slowly than other rocks or mineralsin the same area.


Rock - A naturally occurring consistent mass .of one or more minerals; the three rock typesare named according to their formation pm-cesses: sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous.

Rock cycle - The process whereby one rocktype changes into another.

Sandstone - A sedimentary rock consisting ofquartz and sand cemented together.

Schist - Any of various medium to coarsegrained metamorphic rocks composed oflaminated, often flaky, parallel layers of chieflymicaceous minerals.

Sediment Material that settles to the bottomof a liquid, such as soil being washed into alake and settling to the bottom.

Sedimentary rock - Bits and pieces of otherkinds of rock that have been cemented togetherunder pressure and deposited in layers nearthe earth's surface; sometimes containing theremains of once-living things (fossils).

Shale - A fine-grained sedimentary rockcomposed largely of clay, mud or silt andcharacterized by its tendency to split easilyalong parallel planes.

Vent - An exit hole for hot gases and lava toflow from a volcano.

Volcanic eruption - A generally violent burst-ing forth of lava, volcanic ash and gases froma volcano's vent.

Volcano - A cone-shaped hill or mountainconsisting chiefly of volcanic materials builtup around a vent or hole in the earth's crustfrom which eruptions occur.

Weathering - The chemical alteration andMechanical breakdown of rock materialsduring exposure to air, moisture, and organicmattes

Xenolith - Literally, a "stranger" rock, whichwas surrounded during the movement ofmagma to form an unrelated inclusion withinthe surrounding igneous rock.

6.2 52 June 1994

Adams, George F. and Jerome Wyckoff.1971. Landforms, A Golden Guide.Racine, WI: Western Publishing Co.

The American Forest Council. 1987.Project Learning Tree. For information,contact The Project Learning Tree Coordi-nator, Box 8003, NC State University,Raleigh, NC 27695.

Lsarnes-Svarney, L. Patricia. 1991. Bornof Heat and Pressure: Mountains andMetamorphic Rocks. Hillside, NJ: EnslowPublishers.

Bates, Robert L. and Julia A. Jackson.1980. Glossary of Geology. Falls Church,VA: American Geological Institute.

Beyer, Fred. 1991. North Carolina: TheYears Before Man: A Geologic History.Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

Birdd, Donald L. 1990. "Color Me Meta-morphic." The Science Teacher, (April).

Carpenter, P. Albert, III. (editor). 1989.A Geological Guide to North Carolina StateParks. Bulletin 91. Raleigh, NC. For moreinformation, contact NC Geological SurveySection, Division of Land Resources, POBox 27687, Raleigh NC 27611.

Chesterman, Charles W. 1978. The Audu-bon Society Field Guide to North AmericanRocks and Minerals. New York, NY: AlfredA. Knopf.

Crowders Mountain State Park. Park geol-ogy files. For more information, contactCrowders Mountain State Park, Route 1,Box 159, Kings Mountain, NC 28086.

Cvancara, Alan M. 1986. Field Manual forthe Amateur Geologist . New York, NY:Prentice Hall.


Ernst, W. D. 1969. Earth Materials.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Eves, Robert L. and Larry E. Davis. 1988."Is the Rock Cycle an Outdated Idea, or aUnifying Concept?" Journal of GeologicalEducation . Vol. 36.

Flint, Richard Foster and Brian J. Skinner.1974. Physical Geology, (2nd Edition).New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Fenton, Carroll Lane and Mildred AdamsFenton. 1989. The Fossil Book, A Recordof Prehistoric Life. New York, NY:Doubleday.

Foster, Robert J. 1983. Physical Geology.(4th Edition). Columbus, OH: Charles E.Merrill Publishing Co.

Gallant, Roy A. and Christopher J.Schuberth. 1.967. Discovering Rocks andMinerals. Garden City, NY: The NaturalHistory Press.

Goldich, S. S. 1938. "A Study in RockWeathering." Journal of GeologicalEducation. Vol. 46.

Halstead, L. B. 1982. The Search for thePast: Fossils, Rocks, Tracks and Trails, TheSearch for the Origin of Life. New York,NY: Doubleday and Company Inc.

Headstrom, Richard. 1985. SuburbanGeology. Englewood Cliff, NJ: PrenticeHall.

Hogg, John C., Judson B. Cross andKenneth E. Vordenberg. 1959. PhysicalScience, A Basic Course . Princeton, NJ:D. Van Nostrand Co.

Kurten, Bjorn. 1988. Before the Indians.New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

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7.1 June 1994

Lambert, David and the Diagram Group.1985. The Field Guide to Prehistoric Life.New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc.

Levine, Harold L. (1978) 1983. The EarthThrough Time, (2nd Edition). New York,NY: CBS College Publishing, W. B.Saunders Company.

Mottana, Annibale, Rodolfo Crespi, andGiuseppe Liborio. 1978. Simon andSchuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals .New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

National Wildlife Federation. 1988."Geology, The Active Earth," Ranger Rick'sNature Scope. For more information, con-tact the National Wildlife Federation, 140016th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036-2266.


Pough, Fredrick H. 1960. A Field Guideto Rocks and Minerals , The Peterson FieldGuide Series. Cambridge, MA: RiversidePress.

Ricklefs, Robert E. 1976. The Economyof Nature. Portland OR: Chiron Press, Inc.

Sund, Tillery, and Trowbridge. 1973.Elementary Science Discovery LessonsThe Earth Sciences. Boston, MA: Allynand Bacon, Inc.

Tennissen, Anthony C. 1982. Nature ofEarth Materials. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice Hall.

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7.2 June 1994

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET

For office use only:Date request received Request received by

1) Name of group (school)

2)Contact personname phone (work) (home)

address3) Day/date/time of requested program

4) Program desired and program length

5) Meeting place

6)Time of arrival at park Time of departure from park

7) Number of students Age range (grade)(Note: A maximum. of 30 participants is recommended.)

8) Number of chaperones(Note: One adult for every 10 students is recommended.)

9) Areas of special emphasis

10) Special considerations of group (e.g. allergies, health concerns, physical limitations)

11) Have you or your group participated in park programs before? If yes, please indicate previousprograms attended:

12) Are parental permission forms required? If yes, please use the Parental Permissionform on page 8.2.

, have read the entire Environmental EducationLearning Experience and understand and agree to all the conditions within it.

Return to: Stone Mountain State ParkStar Route 1, Box 17Roaring Gap, NC 28668


Fax: (910) 957-8185

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8.1 June 1994

PARENTAL PERMISSION FORM

Dear Parent:

Your child will soon be involved in an exciting learning adventure an environmental educationexperience at Stone Mountain State Park. Studies have shown that such "hands-on" learningprograms improve children's attitudes and performance in a broad range of school subjects.

In order to make your child's visit to "nature's classroom" as safe as possible we ask that youprovide the following information and sign at the bottom. Please note that insects, poison ivy andother potential risks are a natural part of any outdoor setting. We advise that children bringappropriate clothing (long pants, rain gear, sturdy shoes) for their planned activities.

Child's name

Does your child:

Have an al z;rgy to bee stings or insect bites?If so_ ukase have them bring their medication and stress that they, or the group leader, be

able to administer it.

Have other allergies?

Have any other health problems we should be aware of?

In case of an emergency, I give permission for my child to be treated by the attendingphysician. I understand that I would be noiifial as soon as possible.

Parent's signature date

Parent's name Home phone(please print) Work phone

Family Physician's name phone

Alternate Emergency Contact

Name phone


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8.2 June 1994

NORTH CAROLINA PARKS & RECREATIONPROGRAM EVALUATION

Please take a few moments to evaluate the program(s) you received. This will help us improve

our service to you in the future.

1. Program title(s) Date

Program leader(s)

2. What part of the program(s) did you find the most interesting and useful?

3. What part(s) did you find the least interesting and useful?

4. What can we do to improve the program(s)'?

5. General comments

LEADERS OF SCHOOL GROUPS AND OTHER ORGANIZED YOUTH GROUPS

PLEASE ANSWER THESE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:

6. Group (school) name

7. Did the program(s) meet the stated objectives or curriculum needs?

If not. why?

Please return the completed form to park staff. Thank you.

Stone Mountain State ParkStar Route 1, Box 17

Roaring Gap, NC 28668J(

Stone Mountain State ?uric, NC 8.3 June 1994. , ,

DOCUMENT RESUME RC 019 736 AUTHOR Trivette, Larry TITLE ... · As one of North Carolina's principal...

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Transcript of DOCUMENT RESUME RC 019 736 AUTHOR Trivette, Larry TITLE ... · As one of North Carolina's principal...