Lab 3: Geology and Cruz Plaza

Feldspar

Feldspar is a mineral that is estimated to make up about half of the earth's crust. It is found in most types of rocks, but most commonly in igneous rocks. This implies that it is created from crystallizing of magma. It is most often used for glass and ceramics. It does not have have any color on its own, but can be found in different colors in the environment due to impurities.

Granite

Granite is one of the most well known and commonly found of the igneous rocks. It is formed by the crystallization of magma below the earth's surface. It is mostly made up of feldspar and quartz. It is used in many objects that we see in our daily lives, such as counters and tiles.

Shale
 
 Shale is a sedimentary rock that is created from compacted silt and mud. It is known for the thin layers that it forms. Shale can be used used for many purposes depending on its composition. Black shale can be turned into natural gas or oil and other types can be turned into clay when water is added to it.

Schist
 
Schist is a metamorphic rock formed from shale, mica, and various ingenious rocks in high pressure and temperature environments. This environment creates complex folds in the rock. It is shiny and breaks into thin sheets much like shale.
(Most of the information concerning these rocks and minerals has come from geology.com)

Cruz Plaza

There are various considerations that need to be made in order for the Cruz Plaza to be built in a way that would benefit the school. Some examples are:

• What effects it may have on the environment and how to minimize any negative ones. The construction deals with an area that used to have vegetation and there are pipes and cables that are buried under the ground that may cause problems if they are damaged.
• The strength of the sidewalks and the foundation they are built on need to be taken into consideration. If the sidewalks begin to fall apart soon after construction then the will not be as functional depending on the extent of the damage. Also the soil may wash away causing problems with the strength of the sidewalks.
• Another consideration that needed to be made was how it was going to affect life on campus. Ideally it would be move convenient than the previous layout and make the school more appealing. This goes for the construction as well because they need to come up with a plan that impacts current students as little as possible while still allowing construction to be done as efficiently as possible.