Sedimentary rocks
What are the three main types of sedimentary rocks
Clastic, Chemical, and Organic
What two forces are required to transform an existing rock into a metamorphic rock deep underground?
Extreme heat and pressure
What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks based on where they cool?
Intrusive rocks cool slowly underground, while extrusive rocks cool rapidly on the Earth's surface (e.g., after a volcanic eruption)
What specific clastic sedimentary rock is Uluru made of?
Sandstone
What are the natural building blocks of rocks?
Minerals
What process happens when moving sediment slows down and settles in a new place?
Deposition
Name two visual characteristics or features that you might see in a metamorphic rock
Flow marks, a glittery appearance, many colours, curved shapes, or foliated mineral layers
What molten material cools to form extrusive igneous rocks?
Lava or magma that cools quickly on the Earth's surface
According to the Law of Superposition used to date rocks in the Grand Canyon, where are the oldest rock layers found?
At the bottom
If a rock has fossil or water markings, and distinct layers (strata), which main rock type is it?
Sedimentary rock
Coal and chalk belong to which specific sub-category of sedimentary rock
Organic sedimentary rocks, as they are formed from the accumulated remains of once-living organisms
What term describes the layered or banded appearance of minerals often found in metamorphic rocks?
Foliation
If you are examining a rock, what visual clues tell you it is an igneous rock rather than a sedimentary rock?
It looks like it has melted and re-hardened, it does not have distinct layers (strata), and it is usually composed of black, grey, or white minerals
What do we call the process where rocks are broken down into smaller pieces (sediments) by things like wind, water, or temperature changes?
Weathering
Name three examples of minerals that are mined in Australia.
(Any three of the following): Iron ore, coal, copper, gold, bauxite, lithium, nickel, zinc, lead, silver, natural gas, or oil
What two processes cause sediments to stick together and turn into solid sedimentary rock?
Compaction (layers of sediment squeezing together) and cementation (minerals acting like glue)
What is the "parent rock"
The original, existing rock before it was subjected to heat and pressure to change its physical or chemical structure
Why do intrusive igneous rocks have large, visible crystals?
Because they take a longer time to cool underground, which gives the crystals time to grow
What is weathering and how does it differ from erosion?
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces in their original location, whereas erosion is the movement of those broken pieces by wind, water, or gravity
What are two major benefits (pros) of the mining industry?
It creates jobs, provides important resources, helps the economy, and supplies materials to build infrastructure and technology
How long do sedimentary rocks take to form and why?
sedimentary rocks generally form slowly because they depend on the gradual accumulation, burial, and cementation of sediments over time.
Sedimentary rocks can take from a few years to hundreds of millions of years to form, depending on the environment and the type of rock
What is the difference between contact and regional metamorphism?
Contact metamorphism occurs when rocks are heated (or "baked") by touching nearby magma, whereas regional metamorphism is caused by intense pressure over a large area, usually along tectonic plate boundaries
If an igneous rock has microscopic crystals that are unable to be seen without a microscope, did it cool rapidly or slowly?
It cooled rapidly, which is characteristic of an extrusive igneous rock
What happens to metamorphic rock if it is pushed deeper into the Earth and exposed to extreme enough temperatures?
It melts and becomes magma
Which category of rock is primarily classified by the minerals it contains and its texture looking like it was liquid before forming?
Igneous rocks