Rock, Mineral, or Fossil

BY JONELL AND CARSON Holmes Elementary

I have a rock collection at home. I wanted to learn more about rocks, so at Level Up we sorted rocks that were brought in by students and staff to find out if they were a rock, mineral, or fossil. We sorted through 45 rocks and 3 fossils that students and mentors

brought to Level Up using the Rock Identifier phone app. The coolest fossil was petrified wood because it was gray like a rock but it had rings like a tree! I also learned that salt is a mineral. Overall, my favorites were the minerals and crystals because they look pretty.

Then, we did some research on rocks. According to The Complete Book of Rocks and Minerals, rocks are mixtures of minerals. Minerals are solid inorganic elements or elemental compounds. You can’t have rocks without minerals. The coolest fact was that lava fluids from volcanoes create crystallized minerals.