
Chocolate and the Rock Cycle
Medium
Can a chocolate bar model the same forces that shape rocks deep underground? Different types of chocolate stand in for different minerals. You apply heat and pressure just like the Earth does.
You shave or chop chocolate into small pieces and layer them together. Pressing the layers forms a sedimentary-style rock. Warming and squeezing them creates metamorphic rock. Melting and cooling the chocolate produces igneous rock. Each result matches a real stage of the rock cycle.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that chocolate can be transformed into different "rocks" using heat and pressure, just like real rocks in nature.
Method & Materials
You will scrape and press chocolate to create sedimentary "rocks", then heat and cool them to make metamorphic "rocks". Finally, you will heat the chocolate to liquid and let it cool down to make igneous "rocks".
You will need blocks of dark and white chocolate, hot water, aluminum foil or cake cups, a container for the hot water, and a scraping tool like a plastic knife.
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See what’s includedResults
By using chocolate to represent rocks, this project demonstrates how nature can transform and change things over time. Plus, at the end, you get to enjoy a tasty treat made from your "rocks"!
Why do this project?
This science project is unique because it allows you to make different types of "rocks", but in a safe and delicious way using chocolate.
Also Consider
To make it more challenging, try using different types of chocolate, or adding other ingredients like nuts or sprinkles to create more complex "rocks". Another variation is to experiment with different heating and cooling times to see how it affects the final product.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related video
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
It's really cool to see the difference in appearance between the three types of chocolate rocks: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks!
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