ROCKS

Just because I ROCK

doesn’t mean I’m a
STONE-HEARTED.
 IGNEOUS ROCK
♦ formed when magma cools underground and crystallizes or when it erupts
unto the surface of the ground, cools and crystallizes.

♦ As magma rises to the surface the pressure on it decreases. When this

happens gasses dissolved in the magma are able to come out of solution,
forming gas bubbles (the cavities) inside it.

♦ Sometimes, when the magma cools very quickly, it forms a kind of black
glass that you cannot see through.

♦It is recognized by it's generally smooth texture, high mass (basically a rock a
certain size will weigh more than you'd expect just by looking at it), and
wavy form-remember, it is solidified magma.
♦Some sedimentary rocks have large particles, and some have small
particles. Some have particles only visible under a microscope. If you
can't see the particles with the naked eye, rub your hand across it. If
it feels grainy, chances are it's sedimentary.

♦The particles are sand, silt, and clay. Sand has the largest particles
while clay has the smallest.

♦If there are a lot of pebbles mixed with the sand, it is called gravel.
The sediment gets turned into rock by being buried and compacted
by pressure from the weight above it.

♦Another way it becomes rock is from being cemented together by

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
material that has been dissolved in water. Often, both cementing and
compaction take place together.
 ♦Common types of metamorphic rocks
• Marble
• Schist
• Gneiss

♦bear the appearance of having been

• Twisted
• Folded
• Swirled

♦As though the rocks had become pliable or altered.

♦Partial meltdown, pressure, and re-crystallization that occur deep

METAMORPHIC ROCKS
within Earth’s crust at regions of plate tectonic activity
are responsible for these characteristics.