Site of Task 1

Work through the information for this site, when you are ready to have a go at the task, touch ‘do it’ (in the app). To be able to answer the task and get a score you will need to be in the actual task area – the ‘do it’ button will display a flashing green indicator if you are in the correct area.

Once you have submitted your task answer, you are NOT allowed another go. Most tasks will have a number of questions, use the Next button to move to the next. Some questions give you the chance to boost your life support – check these at any time under Health.

Six common rock types

1 Granite
Has easy to see crystals. It is called an igneous rock and has formed by slow cooling of molten rock deep underground.

2 Basal
Igneous rock, extruded as molten lava at the surface and cooling quickly to form a dark rock with very fine crystals.

3 Sandstone
Sedimentary rock formed mainly from quartz grains cemented together by various minerals, often iron minerals.

4 Limestone
Sedimentary rock formed mainly of calcium carbonate from skeletal fragments of marine organisms.

5 Slate
Formed originally as mudstone, then subject to great pressure and altered (low grade metamorphism) to slate. Slate breaks (cleaves) in thin layers, which has made it ideal for roofing.

6 Marble
Hard rock formed by the metamorphism of a limestone. Often cut and polished and used for monuments.

Granite headstone

Typical appearance of polished granite. The three main minerals are quartz, feldspar (which may be pink or white) and mica (biotite – black mica). Take a look around and see how many other granite headstones are here.

Sandstone headstone

Is there any problem with sandstone being used for the graves as against granite?

Slate headstone

Try and see if you can detect any crystals in slate. Are there many slate headstones? Do you think slate is a local type of stone?

Limestone headstone

This is a polished slab of limestone, full of fossils of marine life that would have been present in the water when this limestone was forming.

Another limestone

This is also limestone, but weathering and not polished.

A clue to the past

Close up of the sandstone used in the church. If you look at the rock ideally with a hand lens you will see the quartz (sand) grains are mainly rounded.

Well rounded grains indicate they have been transported a great distance by water or wind – bumping into one another as they travel and in the process chipping away at any rough edges, to produce rounded grains. The red colour indicates formation under arid (dry) conditions.

Another clue

Examine the stones of the church wall. Look for the feature highlighted in this image, see how this gives curving, often intersecting sets of lines. Later you will see how it gives clues to the kind of environment this rock formed in.

Task Site 1 Questions

Which type of rock can you NOT find in the church yard.

a) Granite
b) Basalt
c) Limestone
d) Sandstone

Select the metamorphic (changed by heat and or huge pressure) rock that can be found in the church yard.

a) Granite
b) Slate
c) Limestone
d) Sandstone

Which of the following rocks are the church walls mostly made of?

a) Granite
b) Marble
c) Limestone
d) Sandstone

Select the rock you think you are most likely to find in the local area?

a) Granite
b) Limestone
c) Sandstone
d) Basalt