20 Minutes Labs: Candy Rock Cycle

CONSTRUCT AN EDIBLE ROCK CYCLE!

Do you like to collect rocks? There are so many different kinds, and so many varying colors! Some rocks are one color, some look mixed, and some have interesting textures. How do these rocks get to be so different?

In this month's 20 Minute Lab, we'll use candy to imitate the rock cycle and get an idea of how rocks go through different stages to look the way they do. You'll just need some common household items, and afterward we can learn about how the real rock cycle works!

Note: an adult will need to perform some of the steps, as they involve heat and could burn skin if mishandled.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 9 Starburst candies of three contrasting colors (like 3 red, 3 yellow, 3 orange)
• aluminum foil sheet about 6 x 11 inches
• 2 parchment or wax paper sheets (about 5 x 10 inches)
• hot pad
• toaster oven (alternative: pan and stovetop)

LET'S GET STARTED!

Sedimentary Rock:

1. 
   Place the aluminum foil flat on a table or flat surface.
   
   
2. Place the parchment paper on top of the aluminum foil.
   
   
3. Unwrap and stack three Starburst of contrasting colors - one on top of the other. Place the stack in the middle of the sheets. (Use this same color order for all three experiments.)
   
   
4. Fold the sheets over the Starburst stack and mold them around the stack to keep it upright.
   
   
5. 
   Press down on your stack with your palm to attempt to squeeze the candies together. This should be difficult, you can use the heel of your foot to get the best results!
   
   
6. Unwrap your stack to see the results. This is your sedimentary rock!
   Sedimentary rock = made by pressure!

Metamorphic Rock:

1. 
   Use the same foil and paper, but replace the candy with a new stack in the same color order. Again, wrap the stack and mold the foil around it.
   
   
2. Fold the aluminum foil over any visible parchment paper (to avoid burning in the toaster oven).
   
   
3. Place in the toaster oven and heat for about 2 minutes. (If you don't have a toaster oven, have an adult place the whole thing onto a pan on medium-high heat on the stovetop instead. Cover for a more even heat).
   
   
4. 
   Have an adult use a heating pad to remove the stack from the toaster oven. The foil should cool enough in a couple of seconds to handle with bare hands.
   
   
5. Press the stack (still wrapped up) with your palm  like in the first experiment.
   
   
6. Unwrap your stack to see the results. This is your metamorphic rock!
   Metamorphic rock = made by heat and pressure!

1. Use the same foil but new parchment paper (if the last one was made very gooey). Replace the candy with a new stack in the same color order. Again, wrap the stack and mold the foil around it to keep it in place.
   
   
2. Fold the aluminum foil over any visible parchment paper (to avoid burning in the toaster oven).
   
   
3. 
   Place the stack in the toaster oven, but this time heat for longer - about 7-10 minutes.
   
   
4. Have an adult use the heating pad to remove the stack from the toaster oven. The foil should be cool enough in a few seconds to handle with bare hands.
   
   
5. Unwrap, then place the open-face stack into the refrigerator for a few minutes.
   
   
6. Remove from refrigerator and peel the candy off the paper. This is your igneous rock!
   Igneous rock = made by lots of heat!
   

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Think of a landscape over time. Dead leaves, sticks and other natural material fall to the ground and eventually break down into soil. Dust and sand get blown on there too or transported by water. After years and years of time, rain and wind, more dust, sand and soil get piled on top of each other.

As the layers pile on, more pressure is put on the lower layers, and they eventually compact to make rock called sedimentary rock. In other words, rocks made of sediment. This is like the candy stack you pressed on with your hands and feet!

The sedimentary rock get pushed deeper and deeper underground, partly because of plate tectonics (the movement of large land forms). The center of the earth is quite hot, so the more they get pushed down, the more they heat up and the added pressure squeezes them, mixing them together a bit and becoming metamorphic rock - 'morph' means to change. This is like your 2-minute toasted candy stack! Notice how much easier it was to squish the stack once heat was applied.

Once the metamorphic rock gets pushed down far enough, where it's really, really hot, the rock completely melts, and the colors mix together completely. This liquid form of rock is called magma. Sometimes this magma is forced back up into the atmosphere, like the hot lava (magma) that comes out of a volcano! This cools the magma into a solid, becoming igneous rock. Just like your melted, then refrigerated, candy stack!

Let us know how your experiments turned out! Share your photos and results with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or send us an email to info@yellow-scope.com. We love getting your messages!

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