SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS
Animals | Bacteria | Fungi | Plants | Rocks | Sky | Streams
[Expect this page to be fully updated by September 2017]
When observing ROCKS & MINERALS, you might consider details such as…
– color
– feel (does it feel greasy? does it feel soapy?)
– taste (does it taste salty?)
– texture (does it crumble with light pressure? does it break off in thin sheets?)
– solubility in water
– relative hardness, which you can determine using a fingernail, coin, or knife
– the visible streak left by the rock when rubbed onto a unglazed piece of porcelain
– the production of bubbles when exposed to (weak) hydrochloric acid
– luster (e.g., does it appear dull or metallic?)
– relative mass
Last updated: April 2017