* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Rock Cycle Slideshow
Great Lakes tectonic zone wikipedia , lookup
Age of the Earth wikipedia , lookup
Large igneous province wikipedia , lookup
Geology of Great Britain wikipedia , lookup
Algoman orogeny wikipedia , lookup
Marine geology of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay wikipedia , lookup
Tectonic–climatic interaction wikipedia , lookup
Sedimentary rock wikipedia , lookup
Understanding Rock and Mineral Formation and Change Igneous Rocks • Igneous means “born of fire” Igneous rocks are created by cooling of molten magma What is a rock? A rock is a solid mixture of minerals. Ex: Quartz, feldspar, mica and hornblende combine to form granite Intrusive Igneous Rocks •Form or crystallize within the earth •Cool slowly and therefore form large crystals •Considered “coarse grained” •Examples are granite and gabbro Granite Gabbro Extrusive Igneous Rocks • Form above the surface • Lava cools quickly when exposed to air • Forms small crystal • Fine grained texture • Frothy texture • Glassy texture • Examples: Basalt and Obsidian Relationships between: • Magma depth • Cooling rate • Crystal size Textures Frothy Texture Fine grained texture Basalt • Basalt (continued) • • • • • The most common form of igneous rock Makes up most of the ocean floor Smooth and velvety black Very hard Tiny crystals Pumice • Floats on water • Trapped bubbles of carbon dioxide form holes Obsidian Glassy texture Sedimentary Rocks • Form on surface of the earth • Often layered (bedded) • May contain fossils or evidence of living organisms Weathering • In order to understand how sedimentary rocks form, one must understand how existing rocks are broken down by physical and chemical weathering • Weathering prepares rocks for erosion and transforms rocks into the raw materials that will become sedimentary rocks • Two types: Chemical and Physical Weathering (continued) • Weathering refers to the group of destructive processes that change the character of the rock at or near the earth’s surface • Mechanical weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces: an example is water freezing and expanding in cracks causing rock to break apart • Exposure to carbon dioxide and water can cause Chemical weathering as well Erosion and Weathering • Once weathering has occurred, erosion – the picking up and physical removal of rock particles can happen quickly • Finally, weathered and eroded material can be transported by rivers, streams and glaciers • What are some methods of erosion? Water Erosion Wind Erosion Examples of Weathering Examples of Erosion How sedimentary rocks form: Compaction, cementation and crystallization Types of Sedimentary Rocks • Clastic: compaction and cementation of sediments or rock particles (shale) • Chemical: precipitation of minerals from solution (limestone) • Organic: consolidation of the remains of plants and animals (coal) How can you spot a Sedimentary Rock? • Sedimentary rock will often have bands or layers across • It will often contain fossils which are fragments of animals or plants preserved within the rock • The rock will tend to scrape easily and crumble easily Examples of Sedimentary Rock • Sandstone Limestone • Fossiliferous Limestone Coquina Shale Metamorphic Rocks • Formed from either existing igneous or sedimentary rocks • Formed under tremendous heat and pressure • Do NOT melt • Formed deep underground • Associated with mountain building • Often foliated or flaky Classifying Metamorphic Rocks • Foliated: seems to have layers or thin lines – appears almost flakey Foliated • Nonfoliated: Uniform in composition – no lines or obvious layers Nonfoliated • Quartzite • Marble • Hornblende • Schist