GEOLOGY FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS

Lyra Leigh D. Matienzo

BSCE 2D
2020-04823
Quiz # 2

“Vitality of Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary Rocks in Earth’s Geologic Process”

The processes that transform the rock components of the crust from one form to another
are slow yet constant. The rock cycle is caused by two forces: The Earth's internal heat engine,
which moves material about in the core and mantle and causes slow but important changes in the
crust, and the hydrological cycle, which is powered by the sun and involves the flow of water,
ice, and air near the surface.

Sedimentary Rocks
 Together with igneous and metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks are one of the three
major types of rocks. They are created by the compaction of ocean sediments or other
processes on or near the Earth's surface.

 Sedimentary rocks are formed on or near the Earth’s surface, in contrast to metamorphic
and igneous rocks, which are formed deep within the Earth. The most important
geological processes that lead to the creation of sedimentary rocks are erosion,
weathering, dissolution, precipitation, and lithification.

 Sedimentary rocks can be organized into two categories. The first is detrital rock, which
comes from the erosion and accumulation of rock fragments, sediment, or other materials
—categorized in total as detritus, or debris. The other is chemical rock, produced from
the dissolution and precipitation of minerals.

Metamorphic Rock
 Heat, pressure, and chemically reactive waters transform sedimentary, igneous, or pre-
existing metamorphic rocks to generate metamorphic rocks. Minerals and texture are
used to identify these rocks.
 During metamorphism, new minerals grows having different sizes, shapes, and
orientations than the original minerals. The chemical composition of the original rock
 may also alter as fluids moving through the rocks carrying away some elements and add
others.

Igneous Rock
 Magma (molten rock) cools and crystallizes at volcanoes on the surface of the Earth or
when the melted rock is still inside the crust, forming igneous rocks. Because of the high
heat underneath, all magma forms in the lower crust or upper mantle. Depending on the
magma from which they cooled, igneous rocks can have a wide range of compositions.
They can also take on varied appearances depending on how cool they are. For example,
depending on whether the magma cools rapidly or slowly, two rocks from the same
magma can become rhyolite or granite.

 Extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks are the two main types. Extrusive rocks are
generated on the Earth's surface from lava, which is magma that has risen from beneath
the surface. Magma cools and solidifies within the planet's crust, resulting in intrusive
rocks.
Intrusive rocks, also known as plutonic rocks, cool slowly and never reach the surface of
the earth. They have big crystals that can generally be seen without the need of a
microscope. A phaneritic texture is the name given to this type of texture. Granite is the
most well-known phaneritic rock.