This publication was produced by the 

BLM Division of Education, Interpretation 

and Partnerships. Additional copies may 

be obtained by calling (202) 912-7457 or by 

writing to: BLM Division of Education, 

Interpretation and Partnerships, 

1849 C Street, NW, LM 2134, 

Washington, DC 20240.

Publishing services by the

BLM National Operations Center.
1

Public Lands 

Belong to You!

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal 

government agency that takes care of more than 245 million 

acres of land. Most of these lands are in the western part of 

the United States. These lands are America’s public lands, 

and they belong to all Americans. These public lands are 

almost equal in area to all the land in the states of Texas and 

California put together.

The BLM manages public lands for many uses. The lands 

supply natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and 

other minerals. The lands provide habitats for plants and 

animals. People enjoy the big open spaces on the lands. The 

lands also contain evidence of our country’s past, ranging 

from fossils to Indian artifacts to ghost towns.

Junior Explorers

BLM’s Junior Explorer program helps introduce young 

explorers like you to the lands and resources that the BLM 

manages. This “Geology and Fossils Activity Book” focuses on 

nonrenewable natural resources. These are Earth 

features that formed over long periods 

of time and that cannot be replaced 

as humans remove and make use 

of them.

You can work through the activities 

on your own or invite a parent or an 

adult you know to join you. When you 

complete the activities, check them against 

the Answer Key in the back of the booklet. 

Then say the Junior Explorer pledge on page 21, 

sign the certificate, and you’re on your way 

to exploring and protecting America’s public lands. 

Have fun!
2

Did You Know?

A geologist is a scientist who studies the Earth’s 

structure and history. Much of a geologist’s work 

focuses on the study of rocks and minerals. A 

paleontologist is a scientist who studies past life by 

looking at plant and animal fossils. 

In this booklet you’ll learn about rocks, minerals, and 

fossils. The booklet is full of fun activities, diagrams, 

and photos of BLM locations that illustrate many 

of the features you will learn about. You will also 

explore why geologic resources on 

your public lands are important 

and why we need to protect 

and use them wisely. The 

glossary on page 24 will help 

you understand these ideas 

better by explaining what 

certain words mean.

Lunar Crater National Natural Landmark, NEVADA

Lance Creek Fossil Area National Natural 

Landmark, WYOMING
3

Fun Facts

The BLM manages many sites across the country where you and your family can explore and 

observe nature’s geological wonders.

ALASKA: Hikers on Alaska’s Pinnell Mountain 

National Recreation Trail will walk across some 

of the state’s oldest rocks. Schist is the main rock 

type along the trail. Schist (a type of metamorphic 

rock) forms the prominent tors (rocky peaks) 

jutting from narrow ridge tops, as shown in the 

photograph to the left. This elaborately folded 

and deformed rock is between 700 million and 

2 billion years old.

UTAH: The 1.9-million-acre Grand Staircase–

Escalante National Monument (right photo) is so 

remote that it was one of the last places in the 

continental United States to be mapped. One of its 

most interesting features is a thousand-mile maze 

of interconnected canyons.

ARIZONA/UTAH: At the Paria Canyon-Vermilion 

Cliffs Wilderness Area (left photo), visitors can 

explore and walk through Buckskin Gulch, one of 

the longest and deepest slot canyons in the world. 

Slot canyons are sculpted in sandstone or limestone 

by moving water. Some slot canyons are only 

3 feet across, but they are hundreds of feet deep.

IDAHO: Craters of the Moon National Monument 

(right photo) is co-managed by the BLM and the 

National Park Service. The monument is a vast 

open area that was named for its resemblance to 

the surface of the Moon. The site features lava 

flows and volcanic caves from volcanic eruptions 

that occurred within the last ten thousand years. 

Astronauts visited the site in 1969 to study volcanic 

geography before flying the Apollo Moon missions.
4

NEVADA: Nevada’s Lunar Crater Volcanic Field is a National Natural 

Landmark. The field looks so much like the surface of the Moon that NASA 

used it to train the Apollo astronauts. Lunar Crater was formed by a volcanic 

eruption and is the most distinctive feature of the field. The crater is 

approximately 426 feet deep and 3,444 feet wide (that’s more than 

100 football fields laid end to end)!

Nevada is also home to Sand Mountain. Sand Mountain 

is 600 feet high and is one of only a few “singing” sand 

dunes in the world. Winds moving across the dune rub 

the unusually shaped sand grains against one another. 

This action causes an eerie, moaning sound that can be 

heard if one is close enough.

More Fun

Facts
5

Geology on Your Public Lands

Many awesome shapes and forms of rocks and fossils are found on your nation’s 

public lands. Some of these places are marked on the map on this page. Want to 

learn more about each of these unique sites? Visit www.blm.gov.

Directions: Write the name of the state 

on each line where a BLM site is found.

ALABAMA HILLS

The rounded, weathered shape 

of the Alabamas appears very 

different from the sharp-looking 

ridges of the nearby Sierra Nevada 

Mountains. The rock formations 

have been the setting for many 

movies and television commercials.

POMPEYS PILLAR NATIONAL MONUMENT

This massive sandstone outcrop is the only major 

landform in the area. It has the only known physical 

evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Lewis and 

Clark were the first American explorers to travel across 

the United States and reach the Pacific Ocean. On July 

25, 1806, during the trip back from the Pacific coast, 

Clark carved his signature and the date into the rock.

RED GULCH DINOSAUR TRACKSITE

More than 1,000 

dinosaur tracks 

and 125 dinosaur 

trackways were 

discovered at this 

site. Visitors can 

closely examine the 

167-million-yearold fossils.

GARDEN 

PARK 

FOSSIL 

AREA

Many famous dinosaur fossils, including 

fossils of Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, 

Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus, have been 

found here.

BISTI/DE-NA-ZIN WILDERNESS

This area was home to large Cretaceous dinosaurs 

and reptiles 65–80 million years ago. The fossils 

provide a record of changes in plant and animal 

life at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. 

CLEVELAND-LLOYD 

DINOSAUR QUARRY

This quarry contains the largest 

collection of Jurassic dinosaur bones in 

the world. An Allosaurus skeleton is on 

display in the visitor center.

RED ROCK CANYON

The red- and cream-colored 

sandstone cliffs have been 

used as a scenic backdrop 

for more than 100 movies 

since the 1920s. This site 

is also home to a recently 

discovered Grallator

dinosaur trackway.
6

Let’s Rock!

What is a rock? A rock is composed of one or 

more minerals. Minerals are nonliving materials 

that are found in nature and that are chemically 

the same all the way through. Copper, 

diamond, gold, lead, pyrite, mica, and 

quartz are all minerals. 

There are three kinds of rocks. Each kind is named 

for the way that it was formed.

IGNEOUS ROCK is formed when magma—molten 

(melted) rock deep within the Earth—solidifies or 

when it erupts through volcanoes on the Earth’s 

surface as lava and then solidifies.

SEDIMENTARY ROCK is formed when layers of sand, 

clay, silt, or gravel settle and harden over time.

METAMORPHIC ROCK is formed when heat and 

pressure cause existing rocks to change slowly over 

time.

Directions: Match each rock type with the picture that represents how it was formed. There will be more 

than one rock type for each formation picture. The first one has been done for you.

Sandstone (sedimentary)

Basalt (igneous)

Limestone (sedimentary)

Marble (metamorphic)

Pumice (igneous)

Slate (metamorphic)

Coal (sedimentary)

Do you recognize the names of any of these rocks? 

Where in your house or neighborhood have you seen or heard of examples of these rocks?
7

Rockin’ Around the Rock Cycle (Part 1)

Geologists use a model called the rock cycle to help explain how rocks are formed and change over time. 

Weathering, erosion, heat, and pressure cause changes in rocks and minerals.

Weathering is caused by wind, ice, or water that breaks rocks into smaller and smaller pieces. Erosion occurs when 

moving wind, water, or ice wears away weathered rocks. Pressure is produced when layers and layers of rock 

push down on the Earth’s crust. Rocks are heated when they are close to a heat source such as lava or magma.

Directions: Explore the rock cycle model, and then fill in the blanks in the descriptions below. 

1. ________________ rock is formed when ________________ or 

________________ rock is heated and under pressure.

2. Weathering and erosion create ________________, which compacts and cements 

to form ________________ rock.

3. When ________________ or ________________ or ________________ rock 

melts, __________ or __________ is created.

4. When __________ or __________ solidifies, ________________ rock is created.
8

Metate Arch, Grand Staircase–Escalante 

National Monument, UTAH

Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, 

COLORADO

Rockin’ Around the Rock Cycle (Part 2)

Think about how events in the environment could affect the formation of rocks in the rock cycle. For 

example, the movement of a heavy glacier could cause weathering and breakdown of igneous rocks into 

small particles. Then, over time, these particles might compact and harden into a sedimentary rock. Or, an 

earthquake could create pressure that changes igneous rock into metamorphic rock over time. 

Directions: Select some of the environmental events from the illustrations below, and write them in the table 

under the effects that they can cause. Some events will fit under more than one heading.

Weathering or Erosion Heat and Pressure Melting or Solidifying

Environmental Events

Landslide

Volcano

Wind

Rain

Earthquake

Glacier

Movement

Lava Flow

Ocean Waves

“The Wave,” Coyote Buttes, Paria 

Canyon Wilderness Area/Vermilion Cliffs 

National Monument, ARIZONA

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National 

Monument, NEW MEXICO

Wind

River or Stream

Current
9

Rockin’ Shapes and Forms

The weathering and erosion processes of the rock cycle can cause many different shapes and sizes of rock 

formations to develop. Softer rocks are more easily worn away by the effects of weathering. Water freezing 

and thawing can cause cracks or breaks in rocks. Wind can carry sand or pebbles. The sand and pebbles 

carried by the wind can hit rock surfaces and wear the rock into shapes such as arches or pillars. Running 

water can erode rocks, eventually carving canyons or creating underground caves. Weathering can also be 

caused by plant growth, which can crack rocks and break them down.

Directions: Complete the crossword puzzle below. Then unscramble the letters in the marked boxes to 

answer the question at the end of the activity.

ACROSS

2. A ______ is a combination 

of minerals.

3. ______ carries sand and 

pebbles through the air.

4. ______ is a small particle 

carried through the air that 

wears away rock surfaces.

5. To ______ is to melt ice.

6. Water ______ can cause cracks and breaks 

in rocks.

8. An ______ is a curved structure created by 

wind erosion.

9. A ______ is a tall, vertical structure created 

by wind erosion.

10. A ______ is carved by running water.

DOWN

1. ______ occurs when moving wind, water, or ice wears away weathered rocks.

3. ______ is a liquid that carves and creates rock features.

6. Weathering and erosion create many new rock ______.

7. When water freezes it turns into ______.

10. Running water might help create an underground ______.

What is the process of breaking down 

rocks by wind, water, and ice called?
10

It’s Classified

One way geologists study and organize rocks is by classification. They examine and describe rock textures, 

colors, hardness, and other characteristics. 

Directions: Take some time to explore outside with an adult you know, and look closely at some rocks along 

your journey. Try to find rocks with different colors, textures, and shapes. Carefully study all of your rock 

samples, and describe them using the table below.

Hint: When describing your rocks, consider using words like ROUGH, SMOOTH, BUMPY, SPOTTED, SHARP, 

FLAT, ROUND, SHINY, DULL, or MARBLED. Be creative in thinking about the appearance and texture of 

your rocks.

Color Shape Texture Markings/Patterns

Rock #1

Rock #2

Rock #3

Rock #4

Rock #5

Exploration Tip:

It is important to remember to be a good steward of natural resources when 

you are exploring your public lands.

Ask a park ranger or another responsible adult if it is okay to touch or disturb 

rocks or fossils. Some resources should not be disturbed, and it is illegal to 

pick up certain kinds of fossils. Scientists use these resources to study the 

environment and the history of the Earth. Leaving the resources undisturbed 

also allows other visitors to enjoy viewing them later. 

Instead of taking a resource home with you, take a photo, draw a picture, or 

write a poem or story about what you experienced on your journey outside.
11

Lay it on Me: Geologic Layers

Geologists discovered that as sediment built up over long periods of time, layers of earth and rock formed. 

Geologists can “read” these layers (similar to “reading” the rings of a tree) and learn about the age of the 

rock formations. Sediment layers are built up from the bottom, so the highest layers of rock and soil are 

usually the youngest, and the lowest layers are usually the oldest. Geologists call the study of rock layers 

stratigraphy [struh-tig-ruh-fee].

Generally, rock layers form in flat rows. But when environmental events such as weathering, erosion, volcanic 

eruptions, or earthquakes occur, rock layers can become wavy or slanted, or they can be worn away to form 

caves or canyons. Younger layers of rock may also cut through or into one or more layers of rock.

These two diagrams demonstrate the oldest and youngest rocks in each rock formation.

Youngest (4)

Oldest (1) 1 1 3

2

4 5 4

6 7

2

1

3

4 Youngest (7)

Oldest (1)

Directions: Study the diagrams above, and based on what you’ve learned about geologic layers, order the 

layers in the next two diagrams from oldest to youngest.

Diagram A: Youngest ––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

Oldest –––––– A

F

D

C

B

E
12

Lay it on Me: Geologic Layers (continued)

Diagram B: Youngest ––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

––––––

Oldest ––––––

Take It Outside!

Go for a short hike with an adult you know, and look 

for evidence of geologic layers in hillsides, cliffs, rock 

formations, highway cuts, or other landscape features. Can 

you see evidence of erosion or weathering? Draw some 

pictures of your findings on the pages that follow.

A L

H

G

H

K

C C C

F M

D

M

B

J J

B
13

Lay it on Me: Geologic Layers (continued)

Directions: Draw some pictures of what you saw on your hike.
14

Lay it on Me: Geologic Layers (continued)

Drawing page.
15

History in the Rocks!

Fossils are the traces or evidence of once living things within layers of rock. They might be plants, fish, shells, 

animals, insects, or even footprints. Some fossils form when minerals replace organic material over time. 

Fossils offer one of the best ways for scientists to study the history of the Earth and nature. 

The locations of fossils within the layers of rock help us understand the age and development of 

living things long ago. Fossils also help us understand how the Earth’s environment has 

changed over long periods of time.

Directions: Cut out the fossils represented in the drawings below, and paste them 

on the next page with the habitats where they might once have lived.

A B C

D E F

G H I
16

Cut and

paste
17

History in the Rocks! (continued)

Forest

Ocean

Tidal Flat
18

Being a Good Steward

An important role you can play in protecting your public lands is to be a good steward. 

Stewardship means the careful and responsible treatment of something entrusted to your care. We are all 

responsible to care for the nation’s public lands and resources so that they are here for future generations to 

visit, study, and enjoy.

Some ways that you can participate in caring for your public lands are by keeping them litter-free and by 

being careful not to cause damage to special resources. The rocks and fossils found on your public lands are 

some of those special resources. 

Directions: Look at the pictures below. Circle the actions that help to protect special resources. Draw an X 

through the pictures that show actions that would harm special resources.

Can you think of other ways to help protect your public lands?

Share your ideas with someone you know! 
19

Career Profile

Jim Goodbar

Senior Cave and 

Karst Resource Specialist, 

New Mexico

Education—Jim went to college and graduate school and 

studied park and recreation management as well as cave 

and karst geology. (Karst is a landscape that includes such 

features as caves, sinkholes, and underground rivers.)

BLM Career Highlights—Much of Jim’s career with 

the BLM has been with BLM’s Cave and Karst Management 

Program. Jim helped create instruction manuals about 

cave management, and he worked on four national laws 

to protect and study caves.

Discovery!—In 1991 Jim discovered the skeleton of a 

giant short-faced bear in a New Mexico cave. He found 

the bones piled at the base of a 180-foot drop-off. The 

huge bear, a fierce predator that’s now extinct, lived 

between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago. Jim’s discovery 

was the first time that a complete skeleton of this species 

had been found in the Southwest.

Creativity—In the summer of 1997 Jim designed, built, 

and staffed a simulated cave for the BLM’s exhibit at the 

National Boy Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. 

The cave featured a “bat nursery,” cave formations, an 

underground stream, cool breezes, and bilingual 

information plaques along three winding corridors. Jim 

also designed an inflatable cave for Boy Scouts to 

explore at the 2010 Boy Scout Jamboree.

Rescue—Jim has served as a New Mexico State Police search and rescue field coordinator and as an 

emergency medical technician. In November 1991 Jim received the BLM’s Caren Padilla Memorial Safety 

Award for serving as the operations chief during an intense 4-day rescue in New Mexico’s Lechuguilla 

Cave. An expert caver had broken her leg when she was more than a mile into the cave and a thousand 

feet deep. She was safely rescued by Jim and a 70-person team.

At Home—When he’s not working, Jim is never far from his love of the underground world. Jim enjoys 

caving with his wife and son in the Guadalupe Mountains near their home in Carlsbad, New Mexico. As Jim 

says, “You can’t know, unless you go!”

Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National 

Conservation Area, NEW MEXICO

American Short-Faced Bear Skeleton, NABC/www.bear.org
20
21

Bureau of Land Management

Junior Explorer

As a Bureau of Land Management Junior Explorer, I promise to:

•	 do all I can to help preserve and protect the natural and culturalresources

on our public lands,

•	 be aware of how my actions can affect otherliving things and the evidence of

our past,

•	 keep learning about the importance of nature and our heritage, and

•	 share what I have learned with others!

_____________________ _____________________

Date Explorer Signature
22

Cut out and

save certificate
23

Answer Key

Geology on Your Public Lands (page 5):

1. Montana; 2. Wyoming; 3. Nevada; 4. Utah; 

5. Colorado; 6. California; 7. New Mexico

Let’s Rock (page 6):

Volcano: basalt and pumice

Sedimentary Layers: sandstone, limestone, and coal

Heat and Pressure: marble and slate

Sample Rock Uses: marble floors, coal-burning 

furnace, slate patio, pumice 

bath accessories, sandstone 

fireplace, limestone roadbed

Rockin’ Around the Rock Cycle (pages 7–8):

1. metamorphic; igneous or sedimentary

2. sediment; sedimentary

3. igneous or metamorphic or sedimentary; 

lava or magma

4. lava or magma; igneous

Weathering or 

Erosion

Heat and Pressure Melting or 

Solidifying

Wind Earthquake Volcano

Glacier Movement Glacier Movement Lava Flow

Landslide Volcano

Ocean Waves

Rain

River or Stream Current

Rockin’ Shapes and Forms (page 9):

Unscrambled answer: weathering

Lay It on Me: Geologic Layers (pages 11–12): 

Diagram A: B (oldest), E, A, D, F, C (youngest)

Diagram B: J (oldest), B, M, D, C, K, H, F, G, A, L, 

(youngest)

History in the Rocks (pages 15–17): 

Forest: A, G, I; Ocean: B, C, E; Tidal Flat: D, F, H

Being a Good Steward (page 18):

Circle: taking a picture of a scenic landscape, 

learning from a park ranger about public 

lands, painting a picture of a scenic 

landscape, writing a poem about your 

visit to public lands

X: taking home a fossil, writing 

or drawing on natural 

resources
24

Glossary

erosion: the removal of material by water, 

wind, or ice

fossils: the traces or mineralized 

remains of plants or animals or 

other living things

fossil trackway: the fossilized footprints on an 

ancient route of travel

geocaching: an outdoor adventure game that 

uses a Global Positioning System 

(GPS) to hide and seek hidden 

containers, or geocaches, which 

hold trinkets for trading or log 

books 

geologist: a scientist who studies the 

history and structure of the 

Earth 

highway cut: part of a mountain or hill that is 

cut out to make way for a highway

igneous rock: rock formed from magma or lava 

that has cooled and hardened

lava: molten rock that flows from a 

volcano on the surface of the 

Earth

magma: molten rock below the surface of 

the Earth

metamorphic rock: igneous or sedimentary rock that 

has been changed through heat 

and pressure

mineral: a solid that is made up of specific 

chemicals and generally forms 

crystals

molten: changed into liquid by heat

NASA: National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

organic material: material that comes from a living 

thing

rock cycle: a model showing how rocks are 

formed, changed, destroyed, and 

reformed 

sedimentary rock: layers of sand, clay, minerals, 

or gravel that harden into rock; 

often contains fossils

silt: loose particles of rocks or 

minerals finer than sand but 

coarser than clay

slot canyon: a very narrow canyon that is 

much deeper than it is wide

stewardship: the careful and responsible 

treatment of something in your 

care

stratigraphy: the study of sedimentary rock 

layers

weathering: a process that breaks rocks down 

by wind, water, or ice
Ready for More?

On your next family vacation, visit any of

these BLM sites, and find activities for

you and your whole family to enjoy!

ALASKA

Arctic Interagency Visitor Center

ARIZONA

Agua Fria National Monument

Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area

Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument

CALIFORNIA

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

Headwaters Forest Reserve

Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area

King Range National Conservation Area

Piedras Blancas Light Station 

Outstanding Natural Area

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains 

National Monument

COLORADO

Anasazi Heritage Center

Gunnison Field Office

IDAHO

Geocaching Sites throughout Idaho

MONTANA

Upper Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center

Pompeys Pillar National Monument

NEVADA

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

OREGON

National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

WYOMING

Buffalo Field Office Recreation Sites

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center

Visit 

www.blm.gov or 

www.blm.gov/education

for more information.

BLM/WO/GI-12/011+1115EE20038A