Geology Kitchen

Devin takes a look at a few of the methods of mineral formation    Click HERE to download

Feldspars are the second most common group of minerals on Earth.  The are important contributors to soils as they weather relatively easily to form clays.  Potassium, Sodium and Calcium are the most common elements in Feldspars passed on to plants and animals, and are all elements critical to human life. Click HERE to download

Igneous rocks are rocks derived from the cooling of magma, molten material originating from the upper Mantle/lower crust. Igneous rocks are classified by their texture and their composition. Rocks ' textures range from fine-grained (extrusive/volcanic) or coarse-grained (intrusive/plutonic). Compositions range from silica-rich (felsic) to silica-poor (mafic). Click HERE to download

Volcanoes form when magmas make their way to the Earth's surface and erupt. Volcanoes vary by type; cinder cones, stratovolcanoes or shield volcanos. The intensity of the eruption depends in part on the composition if the lava, and following, how much gas is contained within the melt and how viscous (reseitive to flow) the magma is upon reaching the Earth's surface. This episode demonstrates how the release of gas is an importance factor in the violence of a volcanic eruption through the classic baking soda-vinegar volcano, and a more modern analog with diet soft drinks. Click HERE to download

This episode discusses the scientific theory of plate tectonics, in which the Earth’s crust is subdivided into a series of large and small tectonic plates. Convergent, divergent or transform boundaries are discussed and demonstrated with brittle graham crackers and icing to illustrate the motions of the plates at these boundaries.   A second demonstration consisting of heating cream in a pan, representing convecting upper mantle, driving a relatively brittle layer of cocoa powder (the Crust). Click HERE to download 

Devin whips up a model of the layers of the earth using ingredients from the kitchen Click HERE to download

Mineral formation through hydrothermal and magmatic processes is discussed using cotton candy machine as a visualization experiment. Click HERE to download

Chemical and biological sedimentary rocks are discussed in this video. Carbonates, including limestones and dolomites are discussed, and cave stalactites are made. Evaporites are made in pan on stove experiment, and coal and chert are also examined as other forms of sedimentary rock. This episode is to be paired with the "Clastic Rocks" episode for a complete review of the sedimentary rock types. Click HERE to download

Weathering concepts are visualized for both physical and chemical weathering processes. Freeze-thaw cycles and water action are discussed using kitchen experiments, as well as wind abrasion. The chemical disintegration and dissolution of minerals and rocks is demonstrated and discussed. Click HERE to download

This episode explores the concepts of regional versus contact metamorphism. Heat and pressure are discussed and their roles in changing various rock types into metamorphic rock varieties. Contact metamorphism is discussed and demonstrated using a torch and marshmallow, and regional metamorphism is discussed using lasagna and examples of metamorphic rocks. Click HERE to download

Episode 3 begins to examine the world of sedimentary rocks by looking at how clastic sedimentary rocks form. Various food stuffs of different grain sizes are used to demonstrate the relationship between rock name and grain size. Composite rocks are demonstrated from cereal and granola bars using grains of mixed sizes to show how variability in clastic rocks occurs in nature. A brief description of the sedimentary rock cycle from weathering and erosion, to sediment transport, to deposition in a basement and final burial and compaction are discussed. Click HERE to download

Episode 2 expands on the mineral concept by discussing the characteristics of minerals used in mineral identification. Minerals are categorized by the use of descriptive criteria;  1) Color 2) Hardness 3) Luster 4) Shape/Cleavage 5) Density  Fruit are again used to describe these elementary criteria and relate to the discussion on how minerals are categorized. Click HERE to download

Episode 1 introduces the concept of a mineral. Minerals are defined by five criteria; 1) They must be solid substances2) they must be naturally-occurring3) they must have a definable chemical composition 4) they must have an orderly crystalline structure5) they must be inorganic by nature.  The video introduces mineral properties using common fruit and vegetables as analogies for these five descriptive criteria. The video also demonstrates the orderly crystalline structure of halite (NaCl) using a model made of food (marshmallows and grapes). Comparisons between common substances such as ice and glass versus the mineral definition are made to illustrate the specific nature of the mineral definition.  Click HERE to download

Devin talks about the three basic rock types:  Click HERE to download