Howardites

Worksheet for the lesson Rocks that soak up water: why meteorites last longest in deserts and ice (Year 3). Printing gives the pupil copy; open the answers below first to print them as a teacher copy on a separate page.

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Rocks that soak up water

Name:Date:

Look at each rock with a hand lens, then test it. Put five drops of water on it and time how long they take to soak in. Stop at 3 minutes.

RockWhat it looks likeSeconds to soak in (or "did not")Permeable or impermeable?Scratched by: fingernail, stick or paperclip?
Chalk
Sandstone
Granite
Slate
Marble

Bar chart: how many seconds each rock took to soak up the water.

↑ SecondsRock →
  1. Which rock soaked up water fastest?
  2. Why do meteorites last longer in Antarctica than in a rainy field?
Answers for the teacher
  1. Typical results: chalk soaks the water up within seconds; sandstone within seconds to a minute or two, depending on the sample; granite, slate and marble usually do not soak it up within 3 minutes. Chalk and sandstone are permeable; granite, slate and marble are impermeable.
  2. Scratch test: chalk is marked by a fingernail; marble and many sandstones by the paperclip; granite resists all three. Slate may be marked by the paperclip.
  3. Chalk usually soaks up water fastest.
  4. Antarctica is very cold and dry, so water cannot rust the metal inside the meteorite. In a rainy field, water gets in and the meteorite rusts and crumbles.

Howardites · free to copy for use in your classroom