ROCK CYCLE AND ROCKS

HOW ROCKS ARE FORMEDFIND OUT MORE

The rocks under our feet seem permanent, but they are constantly being changed. This process is called the rock cycle. Rocks exposed on the Earth’s surface are slowly broken down into sediments by water, ice, and wind. Meanwhile, new rocks are being created and recycled by forces in the Earth’s crust and mantle, deep down under the surface.

HOW ROCKS ARE FORMED

Older rocks on the surface are destroyed by erosion, or by being pushed down into the crust and melted. New rock is formed as sediments are compressed into sedimentary rocks, erupted magma cools and solidifies into igneous rocks, and heat and pressure changes rocks underground into metamorphic rocks.

ROCKS

The Earth is covered in a layer of solid rock called the crust. Rocks are eitherSEDIMENTARY , IGNEOUS, or METAMORPHIC. Almost all rocks made of minerals, but different rocks contain different mixtures of minerals. Granite, for example, consists of quartz, feldspar, and mica. A rock can be identified by its overall colour, the minerals it contains, the size of the mineral grains, and its texture (mixture of grain sizes).

BEDROCK

The solid rock that makes up the Earth’s crust is called bedrock. It can be seen on coasts and in mountains, where it is being worn away by erosion. Erosion breaks the bedrock into small pieces, forming soil and sediments (such as mud, sand, and gravel), which cover up the bedrock in most places. The sediments may later turn into sedimentary rocks.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

Sedimentary rocks are made of particles of sediments such as sand and clay, or the skeletons and shells of sea creatures. When layers of loose sediment are buried and pressed down under more layers, the particles slowly cement together and lithify (form rock). Chemical sedimentary rocks, such as flint, form when minerals dissolved by water are deposited again.

IGNEOUS ROCKS

Igneous rocks are created when magma (molten rock under the Earth’s crust) cools and becomes solid. Magma loses heat when it moves upwards at weak spots, such as cracks, in the crust. Extrusive igneous rocks form when magma reaches the surface and cools quickly. Fast cooling produces fine-grained rocks. Intrusive igneous rocks form when magma cools slowly underground. This allows the minerals to grow into coarse grains.

Source: 

factmonster.com

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