The Rock Cycle
What are the 3 major types of rocks?
Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary
Name one volcano we talked about in class.
Mount St. Helens
Mauna Loas
Mt. Vesuvius
Explain why magma inside Earth cools "slowly."
The Earth's surface insulates it and slows the cooling process.
At what temperatures and pressures are metamorphic rocks formed from?
High temperatures
High pressures
What is the driving force for sedimentary rock formation?
Erosion
What is a natural, solid mixture of minerals or grains?
A rock.
Around what boundary do most volcanoes form?
The Pacific Ring of Fire
Why is pumice (rock from lava), often "holey?"
What is plastic deformation?
This is a result of the weight of overlying sediments squeezing out fluids and decreasing the space between sediment grains.
Compaction
What is texture?
The grain size and the way the grains fit together in a rock.
True or False: Water is a very weak force in erosion.
A rock that forms from material that erupted from a volcano and cools and hardens at Earth's surface.
As depth increases, pressure _____________.
Increases
This is the crystallization of minerals in water into spaces between sediment grains.
Cementation
True or False: Rocks can contain the remains of dead organisms.
True
What is a physical property of a rock?
Color
Luster
Streak
Fracture/Cleavage
What is an intrusive rock?
A rock that forms as magma cools underground.
What is the difference between foliated and nonfoliated rocks?
Foliated has distinct layers
Nonfoliated has random mineral grains with interlocking texture
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
Sediments are deposited, compacted, then cemented together.
Minerals crystallize from water or are removed from water by living things.
Name 3 forces we talked about that cause Earth's surface to break down.
Wind
Water
Ice
Gravity
What is a chemical property of a rock?
What happens when extrusive rocks cool very quickly?
They have very small crystals.
What are the 2 types of metamorphism? And explain them both.
Contact: Magma touches existing rock and causes metamorphic rock to form from its high temps.
Regional: Heat and pressure act on large volumes of rock forming metamorphic rock that covers large areas of land.
What are 2 characteristics that are used to classify clastic rocks?
1. Clast size
2. Clast shape