Rocks & The Rock Cycle Unit Outline

1. Rock Cycle
a. Three types of rocks - Igneous, Metamorphic, Sedimentary
i. Classified by how they are formed
b. Rock Cycle Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7xFfezsJ1s
c. Rock Cycle - The series of processes that change one type of rock into
another type of rock.
i. Includes creative & destructive forces
ii. Igneous rock starts as lava and then cools and crystallizes.
iii. Igneous rock is exposed to Earth’s surface, which erodes and
causes sediments.
iv. Sediments create sedimentary rock.
d. Vocabulary
i. Rock Cycle - The series of processes that change one type of rock
into another type of rock.
ii. Igneous - Rock formed by hardening of melted earth (magma or
lava).
iii. Metamorphic - Rock changed into a more compact form by the
action of pressure, heat, and water.
iv. Sedimentary - Rock formed by or from sediment.
v. Sediment - Small rock particles are formed when bigger rocks
break down into smaller pieces or that dissolve into water.

2. Igneous Rocks
a. How formed
i. When magma solidifies (cools)
1. What is the difference between magma and lava?
ii. Not all molten rock makes it to the earth’s surface
iii. Two main types, intrusive and extrusive
1. Extrusive rock is when volcanic material erupts and cools on
the earth’s surface.
2. Intrusive is when ‘magma’ cools underground
b. Properties
i. Makes up 95% of the Earth’s surface
ii. They all contain minerals
iii. Lava that cools quickly often has a glassy texture

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 iv. How to determine if a Igneous rock is intrusive or extrusive
1. If crystals are small and or impossible to see without a
magnifying lens, then it is extrusive.
c. Examples
i. Intrusive - Granite, Gabro, Diorite
ii. Extrusive - Obsidian, Pumice, Rhyolite
d. Vocabulary
i. Igneous - Rock formed by hardening of melted earth (magma or
lava).
ii. Molten - Melted especially by very great heat.
iii. Magma - Molten rock material within the earth.
iv. Lava - Melted rock coming from a volcano.
v. Solidification - The process of making or becoming solid, compact,
or hard.
vi. Intrusive Igneous Rock - Igneous rocks formed inside the Earth’s
crust.
vii. Extrusive - Igneous rocks formed outside the Earth’s crust when lava
cools.

3. Metamorphic Rocks
a. How formed
i. Rocks modified by heat, pressure, and chemical processes
(through change)
ii. Most formed deep within Earth’s crust
iii. Form under high temperature conditions
iv. Can form layers due to extreme temperature and pressure
b. Properties of each
i. Generally crystalline in texture
ii. They do not get hot enough to melt
iii. Rarely has fossils
iv. May only be composed of one mineral
v. Rarely as openings or pores
c. Identifying
i. Foliated - parallel layers of flat, elongated minerals
ii. Nonfoliated - random, interlocking textures
d. Examples - Slat, marble, quartzite, soapstone
e. Vocabulary

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 i. Metamorphic Rock- rock formed by high temperatures and
pressures that cause changes in the parent rock while in the solid
form
ii. Foliated Metamorphic Rock- metamorphic rock that has a layered
or banded appearance and is produced by expose to heat and
direct pressure (examples: slate, schist)
iii. Nonfoliated Metamorphic Rock- metamorphic rock that does not
have a layered for banded appearance (examples: marble,
quartzite, soapstone)
iv. Crystalline - distinctly or sharply outlined

4. Sedimentary Rocks
a. How formed
i. Form from particles of already-existing rocks
ii. Smaller pieces of rock that result when other rocks break down
iii. Water and air can change the physical and chemical properties of
rock, which can cause rock to break down into smaller pieces.
iv. Water can travel through rock causing rock to break apart.
v. Minerals and rock particles can be carried by water to different
places.
vi. Sediments deposit and create layers.
vii. Compaction - weight from the layers of sediment forces out fluids
and decreases the space between grains
viii. Cementation - when minerals dissolved in water harden between
sediment grains
ix. Classified by how they are formed
1. Clastic sedimentary rocks - made of clasts of minerals or rock
fragments
2. Chemical sedimentary rocks - when minerals crystallize
directly from water
3. Biochemical sedimentary rocks - contains the remains of
living organisms or was formed by living organisms
b. Examples - conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, chalk, gypsum, iron ore
c. Vocabulary
i. Sedimentary rock- rock formed by high temperatures and pressures
that cause changes in the parent rock while in the solid form

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 ii. Compaction - weight from the layers of sediment forces out fluids
and decreases the space between grains
iii. Cementation - when minerals dissolved in water harden between
sediment grains
iv. Chemical sedimentary rocks - when minerals crystallize directly
from water
v. Biochemical sedimentary rocks - contains the remains of living
organisms or was formed by living organisms
vi. Clastic sedimentary rocks - made of clasts of minerals or rock
fragments

5. Performance Assessment Day

a. Learners will each create a book about rocks and the rock cycle.

6. Summative Assessment Day

a. Unit Test on Rocks