Geology Project

What is it All About?

Did you find a rock at the park and don’t know what kind it is? What about fossils? If you would like to learn more about rocks, minerals and fossils, then dive into the geology project! Discover the types of minerals, rocks and fossils that can be found where you live.

Grow in Your Project

Beginning

  • Learn how the earth was formed and its three main parts
  • Learn the difference between a rock and a fossil
  • Collect, clean, identify and label rocks, minerals and fossils found in Kansas
  • Learn the types and impacts of erosion.

Intermediate

  • Use different tests to identify minerals by hardness and color
  • Learn how to identify fossils
  • Learn to display and evaluate geology exhibits
  • Learn how mountains are formed
  • Discover the impact of glaciers

Advanced

  • Learn to measure specific gravity
  • Read and use a topographic map
  • Measure formation thickness
  • Test to determine chemical properties of minerals
  • Locate sites on a plat map
  • How to prepare for geology

Click Here for Geology Project Member Resources

Take Your Project Further!

  • Take a field trip with a purpose. Look for hills, canyons, cliffs, valleys, lakes, rocks, soils, or other natural resources
  • Visit a lapidary (rock) shop in your area
  • Read an article, story, or a chapter from a book about rocks, minerals, or geology
  • Visit the University of Wyoming Geological Museum on campus in Madison
  • Look for fossils around your house or visit southwest Wisconsin which has a rich history in fossil collection including Devil’s Lake State Park
  • Do a home search to find the minerals and metals that are used in your home
  • Find out more about the Wisconsin State gemstone and where it is found
  • Make your own rock tumbler

Applying Project Skills to Life

Enhance Your Communication Skills

  • Give a presentation about a field trip you took in Wisconsin to study geology
  • Give a talk to your club about different types of birthstones and where they are found

Get Involved in Citizenship and Service

  • Take your rock and mineral collection to a local elementary school and share your collection with them
  • Create jewelry with rock you find and donate them to a local charity or sell them and donate the money to a local charity

Learn about Leadership

  • Lead a craft with your club members or Cloverbuds making rock creatures or rock art
  • Invite club members to take a geology field trip, create a scavenger hunt so member know what to look for related to geology
  • Host a rock and mineral identification contest for your club members

Showing What You’ve Learned

  • Create an exhibit to show the geology specimens you have collected. Be sure to label the specimens with the correct names
  • Explain the rock cycle using words and pictures
  • Display rocks from three major types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
  • Create a poster showing how rocks change
  • Create a rock creature or rock art
  • Make your own rock crystals for display
  • Make a poster or display about rock textures
  • Create a display about erosion or the effects of erosion in Wisconsin
  • Make a display about what different types of minerals are used for

Adapted with permission from Wyoming State 4-H, Project Information Sheet, Geology. Retrieved from: https://www.uwyo.edu/4-h/projects/natural-resource-education/geology.html.

*Resources available at your local Extension office or shop4-H.org.

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