Scribd
Upload
5 views17 pages

4. the Categories of Rocks

The document provides an overview of the three main types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Igneous rocks form from cooled magma, metamorphic rocks originate from existing rocks altered by heat and pressure, and sedimentary rocks are created from the accumulation and lithification of sediments. Each rock type has distinct formation processes and characteristics, including variations like extrusive and intrusive for igneous rocks and foliated and non-foliated for metamorphic rocks.

Uploaded by

gertrudes f. cuidal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views17 pages

4. the Categories of Rocks

The document provides an overview of the three main types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Igneous rocks form from cooled magma, metamorphic rocks originate from existing rocks altered by heat and pressure, and sedimentary rocks are created from the accumulation and lithification of sediments. Each rock type has distinct formation processes and characteristics, including variations like extrusive and intrusive for igneous rocks and foliated and non-foliated for metamorphic rocks.

Uploaded by

gertrudes f. cuidal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

1.

Igneous
2. Metamorphic
3. Sedimentary
1. Igneous
Igneous rocks form when magma (molten rock) cools and
crystallizes, either at volcanoes on the surface of the Earth or while
the melted rock is still inside the crust. All magma develops
underground, in the lower crust or upper mantle, because of the
intense heat there.
Igneous rocks can have many different compositions, depending on
the magma they cool from. They can also look different based on
their cooling conditions. For example, two rocks from
identical magma can become either rhyolite or granite, depending
on whether they cool quickly or slowly.
1. Igneous
The two main categories of igneous rocks are extrusive and
intrusive. Extrusive rocks are formed on the surface of the Earth
from lava, which is magma that has emerged from underground.
Intrusive rocks are formed from magma that cools and solidifies
within the crust of the planet.
When lava comes out of a volcano and solidifies into extrusive
igneous rock, also called volcanic, the rock cools very quickly.
Crystals inside solid volcanic rocks are small because they do not
have much time to form until the rock cools all the way, which stops
the crystal growth. These fine-grained rocks are known
as aphanitic—from a Greek word meaning “invisible.”
1. Igneous
They are given this name because the crystals that form within
them are so small that they can be seen only with a microscope.
If lava cools almost instantly, the rocks that form are glassy with no
individual crystals, like obsidian. There are many other kinds of
extrusive igneous rocks.
1. Igneous
Intrusive rocks, also called plutonic rocks, cool slowly without ever
reaching the surface. They have large crystals that are usually visible
without a microscope. This surface is known as a phaneritic texture.
Perhaps the best-known phaneritic rock is granite. One extreme
type of phaneritic rock is called pegmatite, found often in the U.S.
state of Maine. Pegmatite can have a huge variety of crystal shapes
and sizes, including some larger than a human hand.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/igneous-rocks
2. Metamorphic
Metamorphic rocks started out as some other type of rock, but
have been substantially changed from their
original igneous, sedimentary, or earlier metamorphic form.
Metamorphic rocks form when rocks are subjected to high heat,
high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids or, more commonly, some
combination of these factors. Conditions like these are found deep
within the Earth or where tectonic plates meet.
2. Metamorphic
The process of metamorphism does not melt the rocks, but instead
transforms them into denser, more compact rocks. New minerals
are created either by rearrangement of mineral components or by
reactions with fluids that enter the rocks. Pressure or temperature
can even change previously metamorphosed rocks into new types.
Metamorphic rocks are often squished, smeared out, and folded.
Despite these uncomfortable conditions, metamorphic rocks do not
get hot enough to melt, or they would become igneous rocks!
2. Metamorphic
Common metamorphic rocks include phyllite, schist, gneiss,
quartzite and marble.

Some kinds of metamorphic rocks -- granite gneiss and biotite schist


are two examples -- are strongly banded or foliated. (Foliated
means the parallel arrangement of certain mineral grains that gives
the rock a striped appearance.) Foliation forms when pressure
squeezes the flat or elongate minerals within a rock, so they
become aligned. These rocks develop a platy or sheet-like structure
that reflects the direction that pressure was applied.
2. Metamorphic
Non-foliated metamorphic rocks do not have a platy or sheet-like
structure. There are several ways that non-foliated rocks can be
produced. Some rocks, such as limestone are made of minerals that
are not flat or elongate. No matter how much pressure you apply,
the grains will not align! Another type of metamorphism, contact
metamorphism, occurs when hot igneous rock intrudes into some
pre-existing rock. The pre-existing rock is essentially baked by the
heat, changing the mineral structure of the rock without addition of
pressure.

https://www.usgs.gov › faqs › what-are-metamorphic-rocks


3. Sedimentary
Sedimentary rocks are formed on or near the Earth’s surface, in contrast
to metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are formed deep within the
Earth. The most important geological processes that lead to the creation
of sedimentary rocks are erosion, weathering dissolution, precipitation,
and lithification.
Erosion and weathering include the effects of wind and rain, which
slowly break down large rocks into smaller ones. Erosion and weathering
transform boulders and even mountains into sediments, such as sand or
mud. Dissolution is a form of weathering—chemical weathering. With
this process, water that is slightly acidic slowly wears away stone. These
three processes create the raw materials for new, sedimentary rocks.
3. Sedimentary
Precipitation and lithification are processes that build new rocks or
minerals. Precipitation is the formation of rocks and minerals from
chemicals that precipitate from water. For example, as a lake dries
up over many thousands of years, it leaves behind mineral deposits;
this is what happened in California’s Death Valley. Finally,
lithification is the process by which clay, sand, and other sediments
on the bottom of the ocean or other bodies of water are slowly
compacted into rocks from the weight of overlying sediments.
3. Sedimentary
Sedimentary rocks can be organized into two categories. The first
is detrital rock, which comes from the erosion and accumulation of
rock fragments, sediment, or other materials—categorized in total
as detritus, or debris. The other is chemical rock, produced from
the dissolution and precipitation of minerals.
3. Sedimentary
Detritus can be either organic or inorganic. Organic detrital
rocks form when parts of plants and animals decay in the ground,
leaving behind biological material that is compressed and becomes
rock. Coal is a sedimentary rock formed over millions of years from
compressed plants. Inorganic detrital rocks, on the other hand, are
formed from broken up pieces of other rocks, not from living things.
These rocks are often called clastic sedimentary rocks. One of the
best-known clastic sedimentary rocks is sandstone. Sandstone is
formed from layers of sandy sediment that is compacted and
lithified.
3. Sedimentary
Chemical sedimentary rocks can be found in many places, from the
ocean to deserts to caves. For instance, most limestone forms at the
bottom of the ocean from the precipitation of calcium carbonate and the
remains of marine animals with shells. If limestone is found on land, it
can be assumed that the area used to be under water. Cave formations
are also sedimentary rocks, but they are produced very
differently. Stalagmites and stalactites form when water passes through
bedrock and picks up calcium and carbonate ions. When the chemical-
rich water makes its way into a cave, the water evaporates and leaves
behind calcium carbonate on the ceiling, forming a stalactite, or on the
floor of the cave, creating a stalagmite.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/sedimentary-rock

You might also like