Types of Rocks
This type of rock forms from cooled magma or lava.
Igneous rock
Breaking rock into smaller pieces without changing its composition.
Mechanical (physical) weathering
The movement of weathered material from one place to another.
Erosion
Large moving masses of ice.
Glaciers
Layer of weathered rock fragments above bedrock.
Regolith
This type of rock forms from sediments that are compacted and cemented.
Sedimentary rock
When oxygen reacts with iron and forms rust.
Oxidation
Slow downhill movement that causes fence posts to lean.
Creep
Glaciers found in Antarctica and Greenland.
Continental glaciers (ice sheets)
Dark organic material in soil.
Humus
This type of rock forms from heat and pressure.
Metamorphic Rock
Water freezes in cracks, expands, and splits rock.
Frost wedging
Wind removing topsoil and lowering land surface.
Deflation
When a glacier grows larger.
Advancing
The smallest soil particle.
Clay
Igneous rock that cools slowly underground and has large crystals.
Intrusive igneous rock
Weathering that happens faster in warm, humid climates.
Chemical weathering
Rapid downhill movement of water-saturated soil in dry mountainous areas.
Mudflow
When a large chunk of ice breaks off and melts to form a lake.
Kettle lake
Step-like ridges built on hills to reduce erosion.
Terracing
Metamorphic rock with visible bands caused by pressure.
Foliated rock
When plant roots grow into cracks and split rock.
Mechanical weathering
A ridge of sediment pushed and deposited by a glacier.
Moraine
Sediment left behind directly by a glacier.
Till
Farming practice where different crops are grown in rotation to protect soil.
Crop rotation