Igneous Rocks
This type of molten rock is found trapped beneath Earth's surface and cools slowly to form intrusive rocks.
What is magma
These two extreme conditions inside the Earth are required to change an existing rock into a metamorphic rock.
What are heat and pressure
This specific type of rock forms when layers of sand, mud, and pebbles are squished and glued together over a long period.
What is Sedimentary Rocks
This common, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock makes up a large portion of continental crust and is frequently used for kitchen countertops.
What is granite
These are the building blocks of rocks; they are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure.
What are minerals
This term describes igneous rocks that form when lava erupts and cools quickly on Earth's surface.
What is extrusive
Metamorphic rocks do not do this step; if they get hot enough to turn into a liquid, they become igneous rocks instead.
What is melt
These are the preserved remains, impressions, or traces of ancient living things often found trapped inside sedimentary layers.
What is Fossils
This dark, fine-grained extrusive igneous rock makes up most of the oceanic crust and is the most common rock type formed from cooling lava.
What is basalt
This primary energy source drives the surface-level geological processes of the rock cycle, such as weathering, erosion, and evaporation.
What is the Sun
This is molten rock that has successfully breached Earth's surface through a volcano or fracture.
What is lava
This term describes the layered or banded appearance found in certain metamorphic rocks like gneiss and schist, caused by directed pressure.
What is foliation
This two-part geological process involves wind or water dropping sediments in a new location, followed by weight pressing them tightly together.
What is Deposition and Compaction
This volcanic, glass-like igneous rock cools so incredibly fast that no mineral crystals have time to form, resulting in sharp, dark edges.
What is obsidian
While weathering breaks rocks down into smaller bits, this separate process involves gravity, water, ice, or wind actually moving those sediments away.
What is erosion
For any kind of rock to turn into an igneous rock, it must first undergo this extreme heat process to become magma.
What is melting
This common, non-foliated metamorphic rock forms when limestone is subjected to intense heat and pressure, and it is widely used for sculptures and building materials.
What is marble
This common, soft sedimentary rock is made almost entirely from the calcium carbonate skeletons of tiny marine organisms like plankton.
What is Limestone
his is the name given to the original rock (whether igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic) before it undergoes metamorphism to become a new rock.
What is a protolith
This ultimate internal energy source powers tectonic plate movement, driving processes like melting, magma formation, and metamorphism deep underground.
What is Earth's internal heat
This is the name of the continuous process where rocks are constantly changed from one type to another over millions of years.
What is the rock cycle
This represents the highest grade of regional metamorphism, where a rock has been subjected to such intense heat and pressure that it develops distinct alternating light and dark bands of minerals.
What is gneiss
This term describes the breaking down of large boulders into smaller bits by natural forces like rain, ice, and wind.
What is Weathering
Geologists look closely at this characteristicβdefined by the size, shape, and arrangement of a rock's mineral grainsβto determine how it formed.
What is texture
This geological law states that in any undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks, the oldest layer is always at the bottom and the youngest is at the top.
What is the Law of Superposition