Fire,+Ice,+and+Rock+Formation

= = =Fire, Ice and Rock Formation.=

My name is Phoebe and I am a 7th grader at the [|Amigos School] in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the contents of this Wiki I will guide you through our studies of fire, ice, and rock formation also known as glaciation, volcanoes and the rock cycle. To help us understand these concepts better we visited the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. =Location= The Arnold Arboretum is accessible by bus, train, or car. [|Directions] be found by clicking on the previous link. Different types of rocks covered the ground along with glacial erratics, making this a good location to study our topic. =History= The Arboretum was founded in 1872, when Harvard College became trustees of a portion of the estate of James Arnold. This portion of land was combined with 120 acres of the Bussey estate (Benjamin Bussey, also donated land to form the Arboretum, his country estate, woodland hill.) To form the Arboretum!

=Our Visit= On this field trip we learned about glacial erratics, pieces of rock bulldozed by glaciers and left behind as they retreated during the last ice age. We learned the difference between extrusive and intrusive igneous rock. And spotted examples from volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Coolest of all, we learned the formation of the most common rocks at the Arboretum, puddingstone! Because ancient volcanoes covered the New England area, igneous rocks are by far the most common in the area. But as erosion and huge mudslides hit the big hills the rocks in the existing rocks in the valleys in between they were they covered, mixed with, and changed, causing what is known as sedimentary rock, in this case puddingstone. We learned how sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous rocks can change into other types of rock, also known as the rock cycle. The Arboretum really is a great way to learn about the past of New England, so try to visit if you can! ☺

-Phoebe

To create this wiki I visited the Arnold Arboretum website and I used my field notes!