Rock Types
What are the three main types of rocks?
Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.
What is weathering?
The breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals at Earth's surface.
What process turns magma into igneous rock?
Cooling and solidification.
What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma is molten rock beneath Earth's surface, while lava is molten rock that has reached the surface.
What does SALTD stand for when constructing a scientific graph?
S – Scale
A – Axes
L – Labels
T – Title
D – Data
What is the difference between how igneous and sedimentary rocks form?
Igneous rocks form when magma or lava cools and solidifies. Sedimentary rocks form when layers of sediment are compacted and cemented together.
Identify the type of weathering in each example:
A. Ice expands in a crack, splitting a rock.
B. Acid rain dissolves limestone.
C. Plant roots grow into cracks and break rocks
A. Physical
B. Chemical
C. Biological
What two processes transform sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock?
Heat and pressure.
Which rock type most commonly contains fossils, and why?
Sedimentary rock, because organisms can be buried by sediments that eventually harden into rock, preserving their remains or traces.
What is the difference between a column graph and a line graph? When would you use each?
A column graph compares different categories (e.g. favourite sports), while a line graph shows changes or trends in continuous data (e.g. temperature over time).
A rock contains visible layers and fossils. Identify the rock type and explain your reasoning.
Sedimentary rock. It forms from layers of sediment and can preserve fossils of organisms buried in those layers.
Explain the difference between weathering and erosion.
Weathering breaks down rocks into smaller pieces. Erosion is the removal and movement of this material by agents such as water, wind or ice.
Describe how an igneous rock could eventually become a sedimentary rock. Include the processes involved.
Weathering breaks down the igneous rock into sediments. Erosion and transportation move the sediments, which are deposited in layers. Compaction and cementation eventually form sedimentary rock.
Put these fossil formation events in the correct order:
A. The rock erodes, exposing the fossil.
B. Sediment buries the organism.
C. An animal dies near a river or lake.
D. More layers of sediment build up.
E. Sediment turns into rock and the remains become fossilised.
C → B → D → E → A
A student investigates how temperature affects the time taken for ice to melt. Identify the independent and dependent variables and explain which axis each belongs on.
Independent variable: Temperature – X-axis, because it is deliberately changed.
Dependent variable: Time taken for ice to melt – Y-axis, because it is measured.