Download The Rock Cycle

The Rock Cycle
What’s Energy Got to Do With It?
But First!
Some background information…
What are Rocks?
 Rocks are aggregates of
2 or more minerals.
 Petrology is the study of
rocks.
 There are three
classifications of rocks:
igneous, sedimentary,
and metamorphic.
Igneous Rocks
•
Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock
(magma) cools and solidifies, with or without
crystallization, either below the surface as
coarse-grained, intrusive (plutonic) rocks or
on the surface as fine- grained, extrusive
(volcanic) rocks.
Granite is an igneous rock
Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary rock is formed in three main ways:
1.
2.
3.
by the deposition of the
weathered remains of
other rocks (known as
clastic sedimentary
rocks)
by the deposition of the
results of biogenic
activity (organic)
by precipitation from
solution (evaporites)
Limestone and shale are both
types of sedimentary rock
Metamorphic Rock
Slate is a type of
metamorphic rock
 Metamorphic rock is the result of the
transformation of a pre-existing rock type.
 The pre-existing rock type is called the protolith.
 Pressure and heat physically and chemically
change the protolith.
 Metamorphic means "change in form“.
Finally, The Rock Cycle!
• The Rock Cycle
refers to the
constant sequence
of one type of rock
turning into
another.
Metamorphic
Magma
Sedimentary
Igneous
Sediment
Click Here for an Animation that Further
Explains the Rock Cycle
What Do You Think?
• Now that you have seen the
animation, what do you think energy
has to do with the progression of the
Rock Cycle?
• What are the keys to the change in
the rocks?
• Can rocks shortcut the cycle? Does
igneous always have to form
sediment or can it go straight back to
being magma?