Download Unit 10 Section 1: Rock Cycle

Unit 10 Section 1: Rock
Cycle
Classifying Rocks
• A solid material made up of one or more
minerals or other substances is called a
rock.
• Geologists classify rocks based on the
rocks’ color, texture, composition, and how
the rock is formed.
Did you know?
• A rock’s texture refers to the size,
shape, and arrangement of the
grains. (A grain is one of the
particles that make up a rock.)
Igneous
• Igneous rocks form when magma or lava
cools and hardens.
• Don’t confuse magma and lava! Magma is
molten material (melted rock) inside the
Earth, whereas lava is molten material on
the surface of the earth.
Sedimentary
• Sedimentary rock forms when particles of
rock and other materials are pressed and
stuck together.
• Geologists use the term sediment for
particles of rock or material from living
things.
• Sediment such as sand, gravel, and the
remains of animals and plants can
become sedimentary rock.
How it works. . .
• The formation of sedimentary rock involves several
processes.
• Erosion moves sediment from place to place on Earth.
• Sediment is laid down in a process called deposition.
• Slowly, thick sediment layers build up. The weight of the
layers above presses down on the layers below in a
process called compaction.
• The process of cementation glues the sediment
together.
Metamorphic
• Heat and great pressure deep beneath Earth’s
surface can change rock to metamorphic rock.
• Its texture changes and chemical reactions may
also occur that change its minerals.
• You can see these changes by the creation of
bands or by the grains becoming closer together
and smoother.
• Look at this awesome example!
Sedimentary and metamorphic rocks in
Arizona were broken into sediments and
carried away, leaving the Grand Canyon
behind.
Think about it!
• Remember that the rock cycle is a series
of processes on and beneath Earth’s
surface that slowly change rocks from one
kind to another.
• Anything can happen in the rock cycle, it
can continue along any and multiple
pathways.
• Rock Cycle Visual
Let’s Review!
• What is the difference between erosion and
weathering?
• Which processes create igneous rocks?
Metamorphic rocks? Sedimentary rocks?
• What is the difference between magna and
lava?
• Is the rock cycle a circle? Explain your answer.
• Next, we will create a diagram of the rock cycle!