Learning About Geodes
Last week, some of our homeschooling friends shared a treasure with us – GEODES!!
A family member collected them while out west this summer on a geology internship and thought the kids would love them. That person was right! What kid doesn’t love rocks, especially rocks with hidden treasures inside?!
The kids grabbed hammers, safety glasses and an old sheet and got cracking.
The variety of crystals inside the plain looking rocks amazed us. What causes these beautiful geodes to form?
Geodes are formed in hollow bubbles in layers of volcanic rock or in the empty spaces in sedimentary rock left by decaying trees. Minerals seep into these holes and slowly form layers of crystals. The variety of colors and shapes of the crystals are determined by the types of minerals present.
GeodeGallery.com has great pictures of geodes of various colors and forms with information about the minerals that form them.
Another good sources of images and information is the Minerals in Geodes page from the Indiana DNR.
Want to crack your own geodes? You either find a natural place to search for geodes or you can purchase a set of (affiliate link) geodes ready to crack like this set.
