Rocks & Minerals
A mineral is naturally occurring, inorganic solid with what structure?
Crystal
Igneous rock is formed when what cools?
Magma or Lava
Sedimentary rock forms when what collects and hardens into new rock?
Sediment
Metamorphic rock is formed by what?
Heat and Pressure
The Rock Cycle
Rock that is made of magma that cools slowly beneath the Earth's surface is what?
Sediment stacks up in layers that are _______ and _______ together.
compacted and cemented
What are the two main energy sources that power the Rock Cycle?
The sun and Earth's Interior
Crystals grow as melted rock does what?
Cools
The processes that create and move the materials of sedimentary rocks are what?
Weathering, erosion, and deposition.
What is the difference between metamorphism and deformation?
Deformation changes the original shape of the rock layer, whereas metamorphism changes the physical AND chemical properties of the rock.
Which type of rock is most closely associated with crystallization?
Igneous rocks
A rock is a solid mixture of one or more what?
Minerals
Lava cools at a faster/slower/the same rate as magma?
Faster
Fossils. Fossils form when plants and animals are quickly buried by sediments that build up and turn the remains of the plants and animals into sedimentary rocks.
Where does the pressure come from that causes metamorphic rock to form?
The weight of the rock above it, and pressure from tectonic plate movement
How does the sun's energy help drive the rock cycle?
The sun's energy is the main driver of weather, which causes weathering, erosion, and deposition.
The chemical makeup of a rock is called what?
Composition
When magma cools slowly it forms rocks with larger crystals. Why?
Large. The slow cooling process allows atoms in molten rock to crystallize into larger crystals.
Explain the entire process of sedimentary rock formation.
Weathering breaks down rock into sediments that get eroded and deposited in a location. Over time, as the layers of sediments stack upon each other, the sediments get compacted and cemented together, forming sedimentary rocks.
What do foliated metamorphic rocks have? Explain how they form.
Bands. These form after heat and pressure warps the layers from sedimentary rock.
Plate tectonics connects rock cycle processes. Colliding plates create metamorphic rock. Subducting plates melt into magma which cools into igneous rock.