Module 3

Basic Concepts and Principles for

the Elementary Science Education Program: Earth and Space Science
Meteorology, and Astronomy

What is It?

The Rock cycle

ROCKS come in cool colors, shapes, textures, and sizes and are found all
around you, but how much do you REALLY know about them?

Does it seem to you that rocks never change? For example, if you find a
chunk of granite today, can you expect that it will still be granite at the end of your
lifetime? That may well be true — but only because our lifetimes are very short
relative to the history of the earth.

If we take a step back to look at geologic time (which focuses on changes

taking place over millions of years), we find that rocks actually do change! All
rocks, in fact, change slowly from one type to another, again and again. The
changes form a cycle, called "the rock cycle."

The way rocks change depends on various processes that are always
taking place on and under the earth's surface. Now let's take a closer look at
each of these processes.

What will you learn?

1. Differentiate among sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks
based upon the processes by which they are formed.
2. Identify and describe the processes that form sedimentary rock:
Deposition; Compaction; Cementation.
3. Identify and describe the processes that form igneous rocks: Volcanic
eruptions; Igneous intrusions.
4. Identify and describe the processes that form metamorphic rocks: High
Temperature; Pressure.
5. Describe the processes that change one form of rock into another
(rock cycle).

What you already know?

1. Define rocks.
2. How do rocks formed?

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 Let’s get mastered!
Rock, in geology, naturally occurring and coherent aggregate of
one or more minerals. Such aggregates constitute the basic unit of which the
solid Earth is composed and typically form recognizable and mappable volumes.
Rocks are commonly divided into three major classes according to the
processes that resulted in their formation. These classes are (1) igneous rocks,
which have solidified from molten material called magma; (2) sedimentary rocks,
those consisting of fragments derived from preexisting rocks or of materials
precipitated from solutions; and (3) metamorphic rocks, which have been derived
from either igneous or sedimentary rocks under conditions that caused changes
in mineralogical composition, texture, and internal structure. These three
classes, in turn, are subdivided into numerous groups and types on the basis of
various factors, the most important of which are chemical, mineralogical, and
textural attributes.(Klein)

There are three main types of rocks: sedimentary, igneous, and

metamorphic. Each of these rocks are formed by physical changes—such as
melting, cooling, eroding, compacting, or deforming—that are part of the rock
cycle.

Igneous rock forms when magma – molten rock – cools and solidifies. This
rock-forming process may occur underground at depth, in which case the
product is an intrusive (or plutonic) igneous rock, such as granite or gabbro. If
magma reaches the Earth’s surface and then solidifies, it forms extrusive (or
volcanic) igneous rock, such as rhyolite or basalt.

Sedimentary rock may derive from – surprise, surprise – sediment, such as

sand or mud, that consolidates and cements (a.k.a. lithifies) into rock when
buried and compacted by deposits above. Sandstone and shale are examples.
Other sedimentary rocks form when minerals precipitate out of solution, such as
when corals secrete calcite to build their sturdy scaffold – creating what’s called
biochemical limestone – or when evaporating water leaves behind deposits of
rock salt. Dead plant material buried in sediment before it fully decays can
produce that noteworthy organic sedimentary rock known as coal.

Intense pressure, heat or both, meanwhile, can transform the mineral

structure and/or composition of existing rock, modifying it into metamorphic
rock such as slate or gneiss.

The Basic Cycle: The Process of Rock

Formation
Fundamental forces set the rock cycle
in motion: The internal heat of the planet,
for one thing, and the tectonic movements
it generates, as well as gravity, solar
radiation, and atmospheric moisture, which
help establish the processes of weathering
and erosion that break rock down.

Source: https://www2.paradisevalley.edu/~douglass/v_trips/wxing/introduction files/rocktypes.html (also for further readings)

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 Because it’s cyclical, there’s not a set starting and end point for the rock
cycle. But it’s easiest to think of the cycle beginning with "rock melt": Hot, oozy
magma. This solidifies into igneous rock; for example, when a large body of
magma rises and cools a bit below the Earth’s surface to generate granite.
Weathering and erosion of overlying rock may eventually expose that granite,
then acted upon by those same forces, from running water and abrasive wind to
freeze/thaw cycles. The breakdown of that igneous rock produces grains of
sediment, which may be washed away in rivers and then deposited, say, in a
coastal estuary. Sand may then lithify to sandstone, or clay to shale.

If that sedimentary rock is deeply buried, the intense pressure may cause
it to recrystallize into metamorphic rock; for example, sandstone into quartzite or
shale into slate. A rock later subjected to high temperatures – say, when brought
into contact with a mass of magma – can also get hot enough to recrystallize and
change to a metamorphic rock.

If, in turn, that metamorphic rock is ever melted, it becomes magma,

available to solidify into igneous rock, which puts the rock back to where it
started in the rock cycle.

Possible Pathways
Following the rock cycle, it’s easy to see how granite (an igneous rock)
can shed the necessary sediment to form sandstone (a sedimentary rock), which
if exposed to enough compacting pressure or high heat may evolve into quartzite
(a metamorphic rock) – and that, in turn, can melt into magma to become future
granite.

But this isn’t the only pathway or rock cycle order, not by any means. An
igneous rock can melt to create magma; it can transform into metamorphic rock.
The sediments composing sedimentary rock may erode off not only igneous but
also metamorphic or existing sedimentary rock, and as mentioned, some
sedimentary rocks don't stem directly from the rotted fragments of other rocks
but rather from chemical and biological processes. And metamorphic rock can
always metamorphose again into a different variety.(Shaw,2018)

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 Let’s try this!

Instruction: Complete the crossword puzzle by answering the questions given.

S
ource: https://wordmint.com/public_puzzles/294071
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 Let’s think about this!
A. Complete the diagram bellow by identifying the correct types of rocks is
in the circle and processes in the unlabeled arrows.

B. Multiple Choice:
1. Which of the following lists the steps an igneous rock undergoes in order to
become a sedimentary rock, in the correct order?
a. Deposition, erosion, melting, cooling
b. Erosion, weathering, eruption, cooling
c. Dissolving, deposition, cooling, fracture
d. Weathering, erosion, deposition, cementation
2. Which of these processes causes the breakdown of rocks?
a. Weathering c. Layering
b. Cementation d. Erosion
3. Limestone is a sedimentary rock. During the rock cycle, limestone is changed
into marble, a metamorphic rock. The processes that act on limestone and
change it into marble are —
a. weathering and erosion. c. compacting and cementing.
b. heat and pressure. d. melting, cooling, and hardening.
4. Which type of rock can change into metamorphic rock?
a. igneous rock c. metamorphic rock
b. sedimentary rock d. all of the above
5. Sedimentary rocks can be made of particles from which of the following?
a. sedimentary rocks c. igneous rocks
b. metamorphic rocks d. all of the above
6. Which type of rock can weather and wear away to form sediment?
a. igneous rock c. metamorphic rock
b. sedimentary rock d. all of the above
7. The process in which water, ice, wind and gravity carries particles down and
away is called?
a. weathering c. cementation
b. erosion d. layering
8. The process in which water, ice, wind, and gravity drop newly formed
sediment is called
a. erosion c. weathering
b. deposition d. cementation
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 9. Every year, water fills a small lake in a dry region. After a few weeks, the
lake evaporates, leaving behind a thin layer of crystals that form from
minerals dissolved in the lake water. Each year, a new layer is added. Which
type of rock is MOST likely to be formed by this process?
a. igneous c. volcanic
b. metamorphic d. sedimentary
10. A sedimentary rock is most likely to form
a. in the Earth’s mantle c. inside a volcano
b. under moving water d. on a mountain peak

Answer the following questions:

1. What does the rock cycle mean?
2. What do wind and water do to rocks at the surface?
3. What must happen to a rock for it to become a metamorphic rock?
4. When a rock becomes metamorphic does it look the same as it did
originally? Explain

Rubric for Essay

5 4 3 2 1

1. Content
"Addresses each question and all its parts thoroughly; incorporates relevant course content into
responses; uses specific information from case in response"
2. Understanding/Application
"Demonstrates deep understanding of course theories and ideas applied to analysis of case
situations"
3. Original Thinking
"Demonstrates original thinking that adds insight to analysis of case; meaningful elaboration
beyond text, notes, class discussion in strategy development"
4. Structure
"Response to each question is well organized and clearly written; there is evidence of planning
before writing"

References

Klein, Cornelis. Rock. https://www.britannica.com/science/rock-geology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m8tevimgco

https://wordmint.com/public_puzzles/294071

https://www.chisd.net/cms/lib5/TX01917715/Centricity/Domain/1505/Earth_and_Rock_Cycle_Review%20Unit%209.rtf

National Geographic Society, 2019.The rock cycle. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rock-cycle/

Shaw, Ethan, 2018.Rock cycle processes. https://sciencing.com/rock-cycle-process-6171750.html

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