Rock Basics
The main building blocks of rocks.
What are minerals?
This type of rock is often formed from layers of sediment.
What is sedimentary rock?
The term for molten rock that is still beneath the Earth's surface.
What is magma?
The process by which rocks are transported and deposited by wind, water, or ice.
What is erosion?
These are the three main types that rocks are classified into.
What are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic?
The name for the small, solid particles that make up sedimentary rocks.
What are sediments?
Name the two main types of igneous rocks based on their texture.
What are intrusive (solidifies under the crust) and extrusive (solidifies on the crust)?
The geological feature formed when sediment is compacted and cemented together.
What is sedimentary rock?
This type of rock is formed from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
What is igneous rock?
This sedimentary rock is made up of compressed plant remains.
What is coal?
This type of igneous rock has a coarse-grained texture and is formed from slow cooling beneath the Earth's surface.
What is intrusive (plutonic) rock?
The rock cycle uses these methods to connect between types of rocks.
What are processes like weathering, erosion, and metamorphism?
The process that involves the breaking down of rocks into smaller particles over time.
What is weathering?
This common sedimentary rock is formed from the accumulation of organic remains in marine environments.
What is limestone?
The name for small crystals in igneous rocks that can only be seen with a microscope.
What are microcrystals?
This geological process is where rocks are broken down into smaller particles through mechanical actions like frost wedging and root growth.
What is physical weathing?
This type of rock is formed from the alteration of existing rocks due to heat and pressure.
What is metamorphic rock?
Identify this fine-grained, foliated metamorphic rock often used in sculptures and buildings.
What is marble?
The most common mineral found in granite, a common intrusive igneous rock.
What is quartz?
Name one way in which humans impact the rock cycle.