St. Albert-area geology fans are poised to celebrate rolling and stationary stones this weekend as they mark International Rock Day.
July 13 is International Rock Day, reports Daysoftheyear.com. The day is meant to celebrate rocks, stones, and other chunks of geology.
The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) is marking the occasion with a number of rock-related activities, said Monica Roberts, the museum’s head of learning. Guests can learn to identify rocks with science, check out the museum’s extensive collection of stones and crystals at a rock petting zoo, and make their own pet rocks. There will also be displays on rocks used in everyday life and a rock music concert by the Polyjesters.
What’s a rock?
Rocks are solid accumulations of minerals, which are chemical compounds that form distinct crystal structures, said Alberto Reyes, a geologist at the University of Alberta who uses ancient rocks to study climate change. Rocks are generally formed through the buildup of sediments (sedimentary), volcanic activity (igneous), or intense heat and pressure (metamorphic), and can be classified based on hardness, lustre, colour, magnetism, and other traits.
“Rocks are really important for us in terms of building things,” Reyes noted, providing many valuable energy sources and metals.
Rocks in the form of gemstones can also be exceptionally beautiful, said Luc Guillemette, rock enthusiast and co-owner of Gemport Jewellers in St. Albert.
“Almost everything that is gem material has a different strength to imbue in the person wearing it,” he said, referring to some of the more mystical traits attributed to some rocks.
Rocks are an important part of everyday products such as toothpaste, paint, and food, and figure into many myths and legends, Roberts said. They can also come from space, as is the case with the sacred Manitou Asinîy meteorite at the RAM.
Rocks range anywhere from a few minutes to a few billion years old, Reyes said. The ones around St. Albert tend to be shale and sandstone from the Cretaceous period, which was the last age of the dinosaurs. Some are more angular rocks from the billions-years-old Canadian Shield deposited here by glaciers during the last ice age.
Reyes said Edmonton’s Dawson Park was a great local place to see a variety of rocks. Here, you can check out the rippling grains of sandstone, the squeezed stripes of gneiss (pronounced “nice”), and the smooth pinks and whites of quartzite. You might even find some coal, fossils, or petrified wood.
“I like to think of rocks as records of really ancient history,” Reyes said, ones we can read with the right tools.
“We can tell a lot about our history from even the most boring-looking rock.”
International Rock Day activities at the RAM run from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and are free with admission. Visit royalalbertamuseum.ca for details.
Not to be confused with...
International Rock Day is one of many “rock” days observed on Earth, reports Daysoftheyear.com. Others include:
• Old Rock Day, Jan. 7: similar to International Rock Day but with a focus on older rocks.
• International Drop a Rock Day, July 3: established by the World Rocks Project in 2015, this date encourages people to place decorated rocks outdoors to spread joy.
• National Day of Rock ‘n Roll, July 7: established in 2020, this day celebrates the influence of rock music.
• World Rock Paper Scissors Day, Aug. 27: founded in 2014 by the World Rock Paper Scissors Association to promote the eponymous game, one third of which is related to rocks.
• National Pet Rock Day, first Sunday of September: associated with the Pet Rock craze of the 1970s.
• Collect Rocks Day, Sept. 16: encourages rock collection and appreciation.
