Objective
By applying more and more pressure to a piece of aluminum foil “clay,” we can discover, stage by stage, how heat and pressure turn clay into slate, phyllite, and finally schist.
Introduction
Slate is a metamorphic rock that’s created when clay is subjected to a lot of pressure; keep adding pressure and the slate becomes phyllite, and add a lot more pressure and heat and you get schist.
Research Questions
Since the “ingredients” of all these different rocks are the same, what’s the difference between them?
Terms to Know
Metamorphic rock
Alignment of minerals
Materials
4 pieces of aluminum foil, about 12”x12”
1 hammer
1 surface you can pound as hard as you like
1 pair of safety goggles
1 magnifying glass
1 sample of dried unfired clay or mudstone
1 sample of slate
1 sample of phyllite
1 sample of schist