The Structure of Geology Museum - Report Example

Geology Museum Report High School Affiliation Introduction Geology, what is geology? This is a question which a learning geology should be able to answer based on their understanding of the concepts that make up geology. Not necessarily basing their answer on the history of geology but on what exactly geology encompasses. However, it is important that the history of geology is not overlooked but a knowhow of the history should be kept in mind. Over time, the meaning of geology has stood as the study of the Earth. But with the changing times and advancement in technology, the meaning of geology too has changed to include the study of characteristics of the surfaces in other planets and their satellites. This report is about a geological tour to the Natural Resources Canada Library on the 15th floor of 605 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC. The tour was undertaken with a friend called Rami. It took place on Monday 3rd March from 10.00a.m to 2:30p.m. The main reason for undertaking the tour was so to see, tour and learn more about the exhibits in the geological museum (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). The tour was an educative and a learning exposure bearing in mind the exhibits regarding geology that were on exhibition. The library had various types of rocks and minerals on exhibition. The type rocks that were on exhibition included sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Each of these types of rocks is formed in its own unique way. The metamorphic rocks are a type of rock that can be found all around the world. The name metamorphic implies that there is a change in structure. This change requires time. In the same case, the formation of metamorphic rocks takes place over time. This time is a period over which several rock types change their structure to form metamorphic rocks under specific conditions. One such condition is the presence of immense heat which leads to formation of metamorphic rocks. Deep within the earth’s crust, temperatures are very high. These high temperatures cause some rocks to melt and form magma (Oxlade, 2012) Magma is exothermic. Hence, the heat from this magma though it does not melt other rocks, it provides energy that leads to the formation of metamorphic rocks. This type of metamorphism is referred to as contact metamorphism. An example of a rock that was on exhibition at the Library museum formed through contact metamorphism is marble which is as a result of change in limestone. This rock was fine grained in nature. Also on exhibition was baked rock. These are metamorphic rocks are formed as a result of the changes of rocks that are just near an intrusion. Mylonite is a metamorphic rock that was on exhibition. This rock is unique in that it is formed by contact metamorphism which is as a result of regional metamorphism which is as a result of the movement of the earth’s tectonic plates. Mylonite is unique in that its structure differs from that of the parent rock but the minerals it contains still have the similar chemicals. There were two types of mylonites that were been show; the primary and the secondary mylonite which form during multiple metamorphic episodes and during one metamorphic incident respectively. Metamorphic rocks are very useful in Canada as they are utilized as building material due to their physical characteristics (Oxlade, 2012). Igneous rocks are rocks that are found all around the world. They are of various shapes, sizes and colors. The formation of igneous rocks occurs when either, magma that is below the surface of the earth cools and hardens or when lava that is ejected by volcanoes cools and hardens above the earth’s surface. On exhibition at the library museum was smooth - grained rock that had a ropy surface. This type of rock characterizes the features of an igneous rock formed above the earth’s surface which form very fast. They are usually small and have very fine grains. Igneous rocks that are made up deep down the crust of the earth take time to cool. This result in the formation of very coarse – grained rocks that are large (Aloian, 2010). At the library museum, there were various types of sedimentary rocks. The formation of sedimentary rocks occurs over time. The driving process of that drives their formation is erosion. As various kinds of erosion push particles and place them in various areas, layers of sediments are built up. These layers are termed as strata. They are of different sizes, with some being small and others been large. After a very long time the strata forms sedimentary rocks of various textures and colorations. The exhibits on exhibition at the library museum depicted various characteristics about sedimentary rocks. It was evident that many of them are formed from sand, mud and or bits of other rocks termed as clasts. One such rock on exhibition was a pudding stone which is a conglomerate. It had an outer smooth surface. The result of which was from erosion. Another type of this rock was a breccia which had razor-sharp edges. The laboratory museum also exhibited shale. Shale is a type of sedimentary rock which has mud as its main component. It was very characteristic with its thin bedding planes that cause it to come off easily. This rock types as explained by the guide have a lot of fossils in them. Sandstones were also on display at the library museum (Hyde, 2010). They displayed various colors. The tour guide explained that the colors were as a result of the types of minerals which were incorporated along with the sand during their formation. As examples, the tour guide stated that a lot of iron in the sandstone will produce a red like stone and much fieldspar in the sandstone would produce a tan color. It was also noted that some of the sandstones were strong while others were soft. Why? The reason is because those that were strong were fortified with quartz while the soft ones were fortified with clay. There was also a rock salt on exhibition. This type of sedimentary rock forms when saltwater seas and lakes evaporate. The rock salt was in the form of crystals. The museum also had flint and chert rocks on exhibition. It was explained to us that these rocks are formed from silica. Chert is a rock that can easily be flaked off. A known type of a sedimentary rock on exhibition was limestone. This rock is as stated on the display is mostly made up of calcite. Next to it was a rock named oolite. Oolite as explained to us was a member of the limestone family formed from ooids (Hyde, 2010). From the rocks, next were the exhibits on minerals. There were a lot of minerals on display. This supported the fact that Canada is a major mineral producer in the world. Our guide explained to us that the minerals are classified into five classes. As we were just from the rock exhibition, the tour guide informed us that one of the classes was the primary rock forming minerals that formed metamorphic and igneous rocks. Some of them are mentioned in the rock part. These class of minerals included quartz, fieldspar, amphibole, mica and proxene. Fieldspar is a mineral that is naturally incorporated into sandstone. Its industrial importance was indicated on the display stating it was vital for the glass, roofing and ceramic industries. Mica naturally occurs in flake form. Its industrial importance as indicated was its usage in the roofing and electronics industry. Quartz or silica as commonly known is crystal like in its natural form. Its gem like value was indicated. It was stated that it has various crystalline varieties that include rose and smoke quartz, citrine and amethyst (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). The second and third group of minerals consisted of secondary minerals and chemically formed minerals. From the last discussion with the tour guide, it was stated that chemically formed metals were involved in the formation of sedimentary rocks. These minerals included quartz, calcite and gypsum. Calcite is the major constituent of limestone. Its origin is normally marine creatures that have been dumped onto the floors of the oceans. Gypsum was a mineral that was stated to be processed and used in the manufacture of cement and also the manufacture of prefabs. The secondary minerals on exhibition were epidote, chlorite, serpentine and scapolite. Not much was indicated about these minerals, but it was noted that these minerals are formed by modifications. The library museum also indicated the presence of metallic ore minerals. It exhibited several of them that included, iron, copper, uranium, and lead minerals. What was outstanding about these minerals is their numerous numbers of uses (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). For example, iron minerals were indicated to be used in the medicine field, in biochemical research, in production of steel and production of automotive parts. The uses of copper minerals were also many. It was indicated that copper is utilized in the building industry of Canada, the production of electric products, used in the roofing industry, the pharmaceutical industry, production of alloys, manufacture of electroplating coatings, and production of equipments used in transportation. The museum catalogue also indicated that lead minerals had many uses. They included production of lead acid batteries, the petroleum industry, in the production of electronic equipments, in the construction industry and in radiation shielding. The minerals that had quite little a detail about them were the nonmetallic minerals. These minerals were named to include apatite, graphite, brucite, tourmaline, sodalite and corundum. These minerals were just pointed out (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). The Geologic History of British Columbia The geologic history of British Columbia has over time, and is still characterized by its location on the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean. This was very much evident in the geologic maps that were on display in the museum. From explanations given, it was determined that British Columbia has always had an active tectonic development on the same active basin of the Pacific Ocean. The active tectonic development has been influenced by rifting, subduction of the plates and faulting. All through its history plate vectors that have been relative have determined the fluctuations in the geology of British Columbia forming its different, complex geology and land topography. This, the Natural Resources Canada Library takes note of by indicating that British Columbia has numerous volcanoes, canyons made up of granite, plateaus and thrust belts. It was indicated that the geologic history of British Columbia could be observed in four outstanding plate tectonic phases. The first involved the rifting, followed by the Islands and Ocean phase, the third phase involved unlocking of the Atlantic Ocean which repealed the movement of North America and finally Post – Collisional phase which began in the first tertiary. These phases resulted in the formation of mineral deposits. As of now, the Pacific Ocean is very much asymmetric. The west side of the Pacific Ocean is adorned with island arcs (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). Natural Hazards that Vancouver is at Risk from Experiencing The Natural Resources Canada indicates Vancouver as the largest West Coast city. As a coastal city, there are many natural hazards that the city could be faced with. One of them is earthquakes. It was indicated that there had been 100 or more earthquakes in the nearby Vancouver Island. Most of these earthquakes registered a magnitude of 5.0 and above, meaning if one of them was to hit the city, it would have a devastating effect on the city. The positioning of North Vancouver is such that it is situated on a terrain that is sloping. The city is intermingled with numerous ravines, creeks and greenbelts. Vancouver is placed in between the Pacific Ocean and the Mountains on the Coast. This exposes it to devastating weather which includes very strong winds and heavy rainfall that may involve hailstorm. Vancouver is also at risk from the effects of tornadoes (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). New Ideas The National Resources Canada Library had a section on explosives. This was something that was not expected in the museum. The interest raised on this section lead to a want to learn research and know more about this section of the library. The Explosives Act, the Explosives Regulatory Division and the Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory were acts, regulations and laboratory of interest (National Resources Canada Library, 2014). References Aloian, M. (2010). What are Igneous Rocks? Crabtree Publishing Company. Hyde, N. (2010). What are Sedimentary Rocks? Crabtree Publishing Company. Oxlade, C. (2012). Metamorphic Rock. Raintree. National Resources Canada Library. (2014). Nationa Resouces Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/library/167 Read More