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Rocks
Rocks
Feldspar and quartz are the most common minerals found in rocks.
Rock Types
Igneous Rocks
Formed out of magma and lava and are known as primary rocks.
If molten material is cooled slowly at great depths, mineral grains may be very
large.
Sudden cooling (at the surface) results in small and smooth grains.
Having their origin under conditions of high temperatures, the igneous rocks
are
Acid igneous rocks, such as granite, are less dense and are lighter in colour
than basic rocks.
Based on place and time taken in cooling of the molten matter, igneous
rocks can be divided into Plutonic and Volcanic rocks.
Granite is a typical example. These rocks appear on the surface only after
being uplifted and denuded.
These are formed by rapid cooling of the lava thrown out during volcanic
eruptions.
Granite Basalt
Less dense and are lighter in colour than basic rocks Denser and Darker in colour
Based on the presence of acid forming radical, silicon, igneous rocks are
divided into Acid Rocks and Basic Rocks.
Acid Rocks
These are characterized by high content of silicaup to 80 per cent, while the
rest is divided among aluminium, alkalis, magnesium, iron oxide, lime etc..
Due to the excess of silicon, acidic magma cools fast and it does not flow and
spread far away.
Basic Rocks
These rocks are poor in silica (about 40 per cent); magnesia content is up to
40 per cent and the remaining 40 per cent is spread over iron oxide, lime,
aluminium, alkalis, potassium etc.
Due to low silica content, the parent material of such rocks cools slowly and
thus, flows and spreads far away. This flow and cooling gives rise to plateaus.
Not being very hard, these rocks are weathered relatively easily.
High content of silicaupto 80 per cent Poor in silica; magnesia content (40
Due to the excess of silicon, acidic magma cools Due to low silica content, the paren
Add rocks are hard, compact, massive and Not being very hard, these rocks ar
Since magma is the chief source of metal ores, many of them are associated
with igneous rocks.
The minerals of great economic value found in igneous rocks are magnetic
iron, nickel, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, gold, diamond and
platinum.
The old rocks of the great Indian peninsula are rich in these crystallised
minerals or metals.
Many igneous rocks like granite are used as building material as they come in
beautiful shades.
Sedimentary Rocks
Cover 75 per cent of the earths crust but volumetrically occupy only 5 per
cent.
Formed by mechanical agents like running water, wind, ocean currents, ice,
etc.
Arenaceous rocks == More sand and big sized particles, and are hard. E.g.
sandstone.
Water containing minerals evaporate at the mouth of springs or salt lakes and
give rise to Stalactites and stalagmites (deposits of lime left over by the lime-
mixed water as it evaporates in the underground caves.
Organically Formed Sedimentary Rocks
The remains of plants and animals are buried under sediments and due to
heat and pressure from overlying layers, their composition undergoes a
change.
Plant remains give rise to coals of different grades depending upon the
proportion of carbon and the degree of overlying pressure.
The peat and lignite (brown coal) is the first stage of coal having below 45 per
cent of carbon; the bituminous variety is the next stage with 60 per cent
carbon.
These rocks are characterized by marks left behind by water currents and
waves etc..
These rocks are generally porous and allow water to percolate through them.
Spread of Sedimentary Rocks in India
Coal deposits occur in river basins of the Damodar, Mahanadi, Godavari in the
Gondwana sedimentary deposits.
Important minerals like bauxite, manganese, tin are derived from other rocks
but are found in gravels and sands carried by water. Sedimentary rocks also
yield some of the richest soils.
Metamorphic Rocks
Form under the action of pressure, volume and temperature (PVT) changes.
Metamorphism occurs when rocks are forced down to lower levels by tectonic
processes or when molten magma rising through the crust comes in contact
with the crustal rocks.
Causes of Metamorphism
Lava Inflow The molten magmatic material inside the earths crust brings the
surrounding rocks under the influence of intense temperature pressure and
causes changes in them.
Geodynamic Forces
On the basis of the agency of metamorphism, metamorphic rocks can be of two types
Thermal Metamorphism
Under high pressure, granite is converted into gneiss; clay and shale are
transformed into schist.
The gneisses and schists are commonly found in the Himalayas, Assam, West
Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Quartzite is a hard rock found over Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu and areas surrounding Delhi.
Marble occurs near Alwar, Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur in Rajasthan and parts of
Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh.
Slate, which is used as a roofing material and for writing in schools, is found
over Rewari (Haryana), Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) and parts of Bihar.
Rock cycle
Rock cycle is a continuous process through which old rocks are transformed
into new ones.
Igneous rocks are primary rocks and other rocks form from these rocks.
The fragments derived out of igneous and metamorphic rocks form into
sedimentary rocks.
Sedimentary and igneous rocks themselves can turn into metamorphic rocks
Feldspar: Half the crust is composed of feldspar. It has a light colour and its
main constituents are silicon, oxygen, sodium, potassium, calcium, aluminium.
Quartz: It has two elements, silicon and oxygen. It has a hexagonal crystalline
structure. It is uncleavaged, white or colorless. It cracks like glass and is
present in sand and granite. It is used in manufacture of radio and radar.