Parent rock

In the earth sciences, parent rock, also sometimes

substratum, is the original rock from which younger rock
or soil is formed. In soil formation the parent rock (or
parent material) normally has a large influence on the
nature of the resulting soil; for example, clay soil is
derived from mudstone while sandy soil comes from the
weathering of sandstones. Parent rock can be
sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic. In the context of
metamorphic rocks, the parent rock (or protolith) is the
original rock before metamorphism occurred.
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid
mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is
categorized by the minerals included, its chemical
composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks
form the Earth's outer solid layer, the crust, and most of
its interior, except for the liquid outer core and pockets
of magma in the asthenosphere. The study of rocks
involves multiple subdisciplines of geology, including
petrology and mineralogy. It may be limited to rocks
found on Earth, or it may include planetary geology that
studies the rocks of other celestial objects.