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You are here: Home / earth science / Basalt {InstaScience}

Basalt {InstaScience}

October 29, 2015 by Paige Hudson

We found this super strange looking rock in a creek on our property. Come learn about the piece of basalt we found and grab a few activities!

We found this super strange looking rock in a creek on our property. It’s quite large and very hard. I hate to admit it, but I was stumped. I’m more of a lab rat than a rock hound.

So like any good homeschoolers, we looked it up and found out that our large grey chunk was actually a piece of basalt! Basalt is an igneous rock that forms when molten rock is extruded out of the ground during a lava flow. Our particular chunk hit water right away and that’s why it has all those cools waves through it!

Basalt is actually relatively common as it is under more of the Earth’s surface than any other rock type. That said, it is way more likely for you to find basalt on the ocean floor than when you are digging in the middle of the North American continent.

Fun Fact – Basalt is also the most abundant rock found on the Moon.

Teaching Science At Home

Want to learn more about basalt deposits? Check out the following articles:

  • Basalt: Igneous Rock – Read more about basalt and its importance from Geology.com.
  • Basalt and Granite – Find out what GeoMan has to say about the differences between these two types of rock.
  • Igneous Rocks {Video} – Learn how rocks are formed in this video from Make Me a Genius.

Related Homeschool Science Activities

Keep the learning going with these science activities!

  • Edible Types of Rock – Check out this post on the different types of rock to learn about sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rock along with an edible science activity.
  • Rock Collecting – This post from Inspiration Laboratories will help you get your students started on their own rock collection.

Filed Under: earth science, instascience, nature study, teaching science at home Tagged With: fall, instascience, rocks, spring, summer, winter

Welcome to the Elemental Blogging Laboratory

 
profile picWelcome to the Elemental Blogging Laboratory, a.k.a. the Eb Lab. Here at the lab, I have the pleasure of sharing with you all my passion for mixing up solutions for homeschool science! My name is Paige Hudson. I am a homeschooling mom and science curriculum writer for Elemental Science.
 
Why do I call this blog the "Eb Lab"? It is because I am scientist at heart and by profession, so it pretty much spills into everything I do. I love to share tips and tools with fellow educators as they seek to share science with their students!
 
That is what this blog is all about. One homeschooler to another, sharing her area of expertise, seeking to support you as you teach your students about the wonders of science.
 
So, grab your lab coat, notebook, and goggles...well maybe not the goggles because let's face it nobody looks good in those...and you probably don't have a lab coat lying around your house either...
 
So, grab a cup of coffee and notebook, and head on in to the Eb Lab to gather tools for homeschool science, tips for homeschooling, and the latest Elemental Science news!
 
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