‘Wyoming Rocks! Wyoming Under Pressure’ Family Event at UW Geological Museum Nov. 7

Families will have an opportunity to learn how Wyoming's metamorphic rocks formed under pressure eons ago.

The University of Wyoming Geological Museum will host "Wyoming Rocks! Wyoming Under Pressure," a family-friendly outreach event scheduled 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Nov. 7. The event is free and open to the public.

This year's theme is loosely centered on "Wyoming Under Pressure," which will focus on Wyoming's metamorphic rocks, says Laura Vietti, museum and collections manager at the UW Geological Museum.

"As always, with Wyoming Rocks!, we try to feature some aspect of Wyoming geology that will inspire awe and excitement about our amazing landscape. It's not hard here in Wyoming," Vietti says. "This year, we are featuring rocks from the beautiful Snowy Range right next door to us -- a 2-billion-year-old beach."

The Geological Museum will team up with "five wonderful collaborators" including, for the first time, the Science Initiative to conduct a hands-on activity about metamorphism and, for the first time in a while, the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium, Vietti says. Both will offer shows/activities every half hour starting at 9 a.m. Other collaborators are the UW Art Museum, School of Energy Resources (SER) and the Wyoming State Geological Survey.

Highlights of the event include:

-- A rock ID kit for the Snowy Range. The UW Geological Museum will have an activity to make a simple rock ID kit featuring metamorphosed beach and coastal rocks from Wyoming 2.1 billion years ago.

"The museum will be offering a station where kids can make a rock ID kit that features a 2-billion-year-old paleo shoreline that formed the rocks we see in the Snowy Range mountains today," Vietti says.

-- Gem collecting in the sand. Vietti says event organizers are still working out details but plan to encourage participants to visit all the stations with a gemstone digging prize in the sandbox as an incentive.

"Participants will receive tickets to scoop sand in our sandbox to mine for gemstones and put them in a vial keychain or necklace," Vietti says. "The more activities and tables they visit, the more scoops they get."

-- An art activity. The UW Art Museum will host a "Create Your Own Geode" craft activity.

"Participants can explore the beauty and patterns of geodes through watercolor painting and clay, creating their own colorful geode-inspired artwork," says Cassidy Post, the art museum's interim master teacher.

A geode is a hollow, roughly spherical or oval rock whose interior cavity is lined with mineral deposits and crystal formations.

-- Energy trivia. The SER will host an energy trivia activity.

"It is an adaptive version of our Energy Bingo game that we take on the road into the grade schools," says Christine Reed, director of outreach for SER. "But, for big crowds like this, we convert it into trivia in which we let kids spin the tumbler and ask the question connected to it. Then, they win prizes and learn about fun energy topics in Wyoming."

-- The Wyoming State Geological Survey will host an outreach table. The Wyoming State Geological Survey is a state agency dedicated to studying, mapping and sharing information about Wyoming's geology, natural resources and geologic hazards.

"In general, our outreach tables feature rock and mineral specimens, along with paper and crayon activities," says Bryce Tugwell, media and communications manager for the Wyoming State Geological Survey. "We'll have two geologists attending who can help with mineral identification and answer questions about Wyoming's rocks, minerals and geology."

-- The Science Initiative is developing an activity where participants learn about the three rock types -- igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic -- says Erin Klauk, co-director of the Science Initiative Roadshow and Community Engagement.