Elementary Science Olympiad ESO Photo
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Third Rock from the Sun
Description
Teams of two students identify various rocks and minerals and demonstrate their knowledge of basic geology.

Number of Participants / Approximate Time
Up to 2 students / 45 minutes

Outside Materials
Participants may bring only pencils to the event.

The Competition
1. Students will be asked to identify various igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and the characteristics of each type.
2. Students will be quizzed on the basic characteristics of earthquakes and historically significant earthquakes.
3. Students will be asked to describe the basic characteristics of volcanoes and volcano formation, including signficant U.S. volcanoes.
4. Students will have 45 minutes to complete the written test. Time is not a scoring factor.

Resources
In addition to material found in grade-appropriate science textbooks, questions may also include information on the following sites:
USGS: Rocks & Minerals - http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/rxmin/index.html
USGS: Science of Earthquakes - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/eqscience.php
USGS: Earthquake Facts - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/facts.php
Volcanoes - https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-volcano-basics

Scoring
The team with the most correct responses will be declared the winner. Ties will be broken with pre-determined tie-breaker questions.

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