Minerals and Rocks in the geosphere

Minerals and Rocks in the geosphere

McMahon

Ship rock is ​a rock formation in New Mexico that stands about 480 meters (about 1600 ft) tall. How do you think this rock formed?

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​Ship rock is a volcanic plug. Also known as a volcanic neck or lava neck.

Shiprock

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Open Ended

What caused this rock to look like this?

Earth's interior is made up of 3 main layers: crust, mantle and core. These layers vary greatly in thickness, temperature, pressure and composition.

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Earth's layers

These yellow-green peices of rock are xenoliths. ​ These xenoliths are fragments of peridotite, a rock that forms at least 50 km inside earth.

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Earth's Interior

Open Ended

How might xenoliths help geologists understand Earth's interior?