The document outlines an activity where students simulate mining for minerals by breaking up chocolate chip cookies and collecting the "mineral chips" to earn money, while being charged fees for mining time and fines for damaging the "land". It explains the rules of the mining simulation where students earn $1000 per gram of chips mined but are charged $100 every 5 minutes of mining and $100 per piece of broken cookie. The objective is for students to gain an understanding of mineral origins and the environmental impacts of mining.

1. An LSU Museum of Natural Science presentation to
accompany the activity
Louisiana Rocks andLouisiana Rocks and
MineralsMinerals

2. Mining Calculations
3. Record the value of your minerals ($1000 for
every gram in the cup): $____
Total profit = #3 – (#1 + #2)
Value of Minerals $_____ - Total Cost $_____
= Total Profit $_______
1. Total mining and processing fee ($100 per
every five minutes): $_____
2. Land damage: # of broken cookie pieces X
$100 = $_____
Total cost = #1 + #2
Total Land Damage + Chip Mine Fee: $______

3. Objective: Students will gain an
understanding of where minerals come from
and the environmental impact of mining.
Materials
For teacher: Stop watch, scale, bucket of pennies
For student: 4 chocolate cookies, toothpicks, pencil,
data recording sheet, small weigh boat
Mining for MMM…Mining for MMM…
MineralsMinerals

4. Mining rules
1. Your mine will earn $1000 for every
gram of chips mined.
2. You will be charged $100 for every 5
minutes of mining.
3. You will be fined $100 for each piece of
cookie that breaks off. The more
damage, the more you lose.

5. Investigating the layer-
cake earth
What is stratigraphy?
Study of sediment layers
and the relationship
between rocks and
fossils with time.

6. Rules of StratigraphyRules of Stratigraphy
• Steno’s Principle of Superposition
Lower layers are older than higher layers
• Original Horizontality
Layers are deposited in (near-) horizontal
manner
• Principle of Lateral continuity
Layers extend laterally in all direction
• Cross-Cutting Relationships
Layers intruded by other rocks are older than the
intruding rocks

7. Unconformities-
represents a gap in
deposition – lost
time!
• Nonconformity
• Angular
• Disconformity
Sediment layers are LostSediment layers are Lost…..…..
http://epod.usra.edu/archive/images/uncoformitysm.jpg

8. ……..And Moved..And Moved
Faults - Surfaces where rocks have fractured and
been displaced (move relative to one another).

9. Rules apply across Space and Time!Rules apply across Space and Time!

10. Given the diagram, list the order (oldest to youngest) in
which the following events happened:
A. Faulting B. Tilting E. Intrusion
C. Erosion D. Deposition
Classroom assessment activity
Deposition 1
Deposition 1
Tilting
Tilting
Deposition 2 Deposition 2
Intrusion
Erosion
Faulting
1. Deposition 1 2. Tilting 3. Erosion
4. Deposition 2 5. Intrusion 6. Faulting

11. Illustration of example cake set-up. Note different
cake layers (different colors) and fault.