Download Rock Vocabulary

Rock Vocabulary
Word
definition
Rock
Types
Word in
sentence
illustration
Extrusive Rock
Igneous rock formed from lava that erupted
onto Earth’s surface.
Basalt is the most common extrusive rock. Basalt forms much of
the earths crust and oceanic crust.
Intrusive Rock
Igneous rock that formed when magma hardened
beneath Earth’s surface.
Granite is the most abundant intrusive rock in continental crust.
Sediment
Small solid pieces of material that come from rocks or
living things.
Water, wind and ice can carry sediment and deposit it in layers.
Erosion
Destructive forces are constantly breaking up and wearing away all the
rocks on Earth’s surface. These forces include heat and cold, rain,
waves and grinding ice. Erosion
occurs when running
water or wind loosen and carry away the fragments
of rock.
Deposition
Process by which sediment settles out of the water or
wind carrying it. After sediment has been deposited, the
processes of compaction and cementation change the sediments into
sedimentary rock.
Compaction
The process that presses sediments together. Year after
year more sediment falls on top, creating new layers. The weight of
the layers further compact the sediments, squeezing them tightly
together. Layers form sedimentary rock.
Cementation
Process in which dissolved minerals crystallize and
glue particles of sediment together. While compaction is
taking place, the minerals in the rock slowly dissolve in the water. The
dissolved minerals seep into the spaces between particles of
sediment.
Classic Rock
A sedimentary rock that forms when rock fragments
are squeezed together. Shale, sandstone, conglomerate and
Breccia are examples.
Organic Rock
Forms where the remains of plants and animals are
deposited in think layers. Coal and Limestone are examples
of organic rock.