Rocks

Outcomes: students will be

able to describe the
processes that change one
form of rock into another by
observing/analyzing a rock
and simulating the rock cycle.

Warm-Up:
Rock Investigation
 Your Assignment

1. Choose a rock to
observe.
2. Observe the following characteristics
shape
color
surface texture (rough or smooth)
layers or bands
whether it contains crystals or has
marks on the surface
any other things you notice

3. Infer about the rocks

past.
 If you see a rock
that looks like sand
that is glued
together, where
could it come from?

Suppose your rock

looks dirty, with sand
coming off when you
touch it. What recently
happened to it?
If your rock has
shiny crystals
in it, what does
that mean?
Choose your Rock!

Granite
 3 Types of Rocks
Very long ago, our ancestors
used rocks for tools. This was
known as the Stone Age. Cave Pictures
Obsidian and flint were used
for knives and spears. River
rocks were used to break
other things. Caves were
used as places to live and
rocks and boulders were
used to sit on and to build
fire pits. This period of
human development lasted a
long time.
Since that time period,
people have built many
cities and used minerals
extensively. In Modern
Times, since about 1700
CE we have been using
rocks and minerals at an
ever increasing rate as
we build machines, cities
and consume a great
number of "things" in a
lifetime.
 Sedimentary Rocks
They are small particles of
rock transported by water, ice,
and wind. Made from sand that
is compacted and hardened
Usually contains fossils
Dull and earthy
 Common Sedimentary Rock
Limestone

-Limestone and chalk consist of calcium

carbonate which comes from the
remains of plants and animals.
Sandstone

-When sand is compressed, sandstone

rock is formed, clay forms from the
accumulation and comprrssion of
deposits of mud.
 Metamorphic Rocks
Made from intense heat and
pressure, deep beneath the
surface of the Earth
They begins as either
igneous or sedimentary
rocks and later altered by
heat or pressure.
May contain crystals or
wavy lines
Examples of metamorphic
rocks
 Igneous Rocks

Made when magma

or lava cools and
hardens
May contain air holes
Examples of Igneous rocks
Granite (IN)

Obsidian (EX)Basalt
(EX)

Gabbro (IN)

Pumice (EX)
 Magma VS. Lava
Magma- molten material (liquid rock)
BELOW the earth surface
Lava- molten material AT OR ABOVE
earths surface
 Intrusive vs. Extrusive
Magma
Lava cools on the
cools
earths surface.
beneath the
Earths surface. Cools very quickly
Cools very slowly
Fine-grained texture
Coarse-grained
Small or no crystals
texture
Ex: Granite Ex: Basalt
 The Rock Cycle

Interactive Rock Cycle

Animation

Rock Cycle
Interactive