CHAPTER 2A: ROCKS, WEATHERING AND SOIL INFORMATION

Arjay B. Bedana, Instructor-Kalinga State University

Rocks are consolidated aggregate of one or more minerals. The study of rocks is
called petrology (Greek: Petros, stone, rock). There are three major types of rocks:
igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.

Igneous rocks are original rocks formed from

Figure 6: Diorite
the solidification and crystallization of magma
Figure 4: Primary Minerals
at temperatures of 9000C to 16000C within or
outside the Earth's crust. They are considered
the mother of all other rocks. The common soil-
forming igneous rocks are granite, diorite,
gabbro, rhyolite, andesite, basalt, felsite and
obsidian.

Granite and diorite are light-coloured

rocks due to a high proportion of light-coloured minerals such as feldspar and muscovite.
Gabbro is darker in colour due to the predominance of dark-coloured minerals such as
biotite, hornblende and Augite. Fine-textured rocks include felsite and obsidian, which
are lighter in colour and basalt, which is darker in colour. Granite is acidic (greater than
65% SiO2) while basalt is basic (less than 50% SiO2).

b) Sedimentary rocks are formed from the accumulation of sediments derived from the
weathering of existing rocks through fragmentation, transport (by water) and
recommendation. The important soil-forming sedimentary rocks include limestone,
dolomite, sandstone and shale.

Figure 7: Limestone Limestone is made up chiefly of the

carbonate mineral, calcite or CaCO3 while dolomite,
also, a carbonate mineral is composed of calcium and
magnesium carbonate, CaMg(CO3)2. Sandstone is
composed of cemented sand grains whose
composition is SiO2. Shale, on the other hand, is
made up of fine particles of clay which become
consolidated after deposition in bodies of water.

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 c) Metamorphic rocks are formed from
Figure 8: Schist
other existing rocks through the process of
remelting and recrystallization under very
high temperature and pressure. The typical
metamorphic rocks are gneiss, schist,
quartzite, slate and marble. The mineral
composition of gneiss and schist is very
variable but gneiss is sometimes composed
of quartz and feldspars, while schist is
sometimes made up of mica and
hornblende.

Quartzite is made up of quartz (SiO2). Slate is composed of clay, usually

transformed from shale. Marble is the metamorphic form of limestone.

Relative Abundance of Rocks

The Earth's crust is predominantly composed of rocks (95% igneous rocks). The
rest are sedimentary rocks with shale making up about 4%, sandstone 0.75% and
limestone, 0.25%. However, although igneous rocks are the most abundant, the
sedimentary rocks are concentrated near the crust's surface, and therefore they exert a
dominant effect on many soils of the world. The dominant soil-forming rocks in the
Philippines are basalts and andesite.

Modes of Rock Formation

The extrusive (volcanic) formation is when the magma is ejected out of the Earth's
crust through volcanic eruption and solidifies in the surface. Thus, there I abrupt cooling
of the magma and less time for crystal growth. The rock formed is therefore fine-grained
like basalt and andesite.

The intrusive (plutonic) formation is when magma solidifies within the Earth's
crust. Due to still high temperatures, cooling is slower so that there is more time for the
crystal growth of the magma. Hence, the resulting rock formed is coarse-grained, typical
example is granite, diorite and gabbro.

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The Rock Cycle

Rocks in the crust are transformed from one type to another. For example, an
igneous rock may be transformed into a sedimentary rock through weathering and
lithification, or into a metamorphic rock by partial melting through the action of heat,
pressure or chemical action. On the other hand, sedimentary or metamorphic rock may
undergo complete remelting and crystallization to form igneous rock. This continuous
process through which old rocks are transformed into new ones is called the rock cycle.

Figure 9: The Rock Cycle

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