Exhibits
The Rock Garden
Interesting Rocks from Interesting Places
Petrified wood from Arizona, Egyptian granite, and our own Roxbury puddingstone are just some of the rock stars that can be found in this outdoor exhibit, where visitors can take a tour of the world just by strolling through.
Here, you can find a rock that tumbled in an avalanche from the top of Mount Blanc, or a billion-year-old boulder from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Get up close and personal with lava from Death Valley, or observe the narrow, black crystals of sillimanite embedded on the surface of gneiss from Mount Washington. Touch a piece of the two-ton chunk of limestone from the Rock of Gibraltar.
Photo © TMP Images.
| Format | Exhibit |
| Grades | 3 – 12 |
| Location | Outside Museum Entrance — Museum of Science, Boston |
| Website | n/a |
| Documents | MOS_Rock_Garden_Map.pdf |
The Rock Garden
+ View Detailed Standard Connections
Primary Connections:
MA Science and Technology/Engineering Framework (2006)
(Massachusetts)
- Earth and Space Science > Earth Processes and Cycles (Grade: 9 – 10)
- Earth and Space Science > Earth Processes and Cycles (Grade: 9 – 10)
- Earth and Space Science > Rocks and Their Properties (Grade: 3 – 5)
- Earth and Space Science > Rocks and Their Properties (Grade: 3 – 5)
- Earth and Space Science > Earth Processes and Cycles (Grade: 9 – 10)
– View Concise Standard Connections
Primary Connections:
MA Science and Technology/Engineering Framework (2006)
(Massachusetts)
- Earth and Space Science > 3.8 Earth Processes and Cycles (Grade: 9 – 10)
Describe the rock cycle, and the processes that are responsible for the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Compare the physical properties of these rock types. - Earth and Space Science > 3.1 Earth Processes and Cycles (Grade: 9 – 10)
Explain that weather is the most significant source of erosion and how both physical and chemical weathering lead to the formation of sediments and soils, affect the shape of rocks, and create specific landscapes depending on what weathering process is dominant under a specific climate. - Earth and Space Science > 03 Rocks and Their Properties (Grade: 3 – 5)
Identify the three categories of rocks (metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary) based on how they are formed, and explain the natural and physical processes that create these rocks. - Earth and Space Science > 01 Rocks and Their Properties (Grade: 3 – 5)
Give a simple explanation of what a mineral is and some examples, e.g., quartz, mica. - Earth and Space Science > 3.9 Earth Processes and Cycles (Grade: 9 – 10)
Compare the physical properties and the mineral combinations found in rocks.
The Rock Garden
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The Rock Garden
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