Rock Hound

Because there is ambiguity about the classification of fossiliferous limestone, this question will not be asked.

Yes, the students should be able to answer questions about Bowen's reaction series.  For example:

• Given a list of minerals, specify the order of the first to crystallize to the last.
• What type of igneous rock crystallizes at a given temperature?

Yes.

Anthracite coal should be classified as metamorphic.  It was previously classified by petrologists as sedimentary rock, but a few years back scientific community decided that it has undergone enough pressure to be considered metamorphic - albeit very low grade metamorphic.

Students may put any information on the 8 1/2" x 14" chart that they may bring into the event, including the index letter or number that is on a rock specimen.

However, because they will not be allowed to bring their own rock specimens into the competition, it is unclear what value that information might have.

It is very important to study all of the rock types as well as the minerals. The official specimen list in the rules has both rocks and minerals.  The additional focus rocks and minerals are a relatively small portion of the total.  This proportion of specimens is relatively representative of the degree of focus.