Rocks and the Rock Cycle

Rocks and the Rock Cycle

• Rocks are made of one or more minerals

• They're grouped based on how they form

• They continuously change through processes like melting, erosion, and pressure

What are rocks?

Notes: Rocks are made of minerals and are grouped by how they form.

1. Cut out the big table and glue it into your books

2. Cut out the small pieces and keep them close by

3. As we learn about each of the rock types, glue the information into their correct location

​

Activity: Cut and Paste

• Form when molten rock (magma or lava) cools and solidifies

• Types of igneous rock:

​

​Igneous Rock

• Intrusive: Cool slowly inside Earth, e.g. granite

• Extrusive: Cool quickly on Earth's surface, e.g. basalt

• Formed when sediments (small rock pieces, minerals, or organic matter) are compressed over time.

• How they form:

​

Sedimentary Rocks

1. Weathering and erosion create sediment

2. Sediment is transported and deposited in layers

3. Layers are compressed and cemented into rock

From sand

Sandstone

From mud

Shale

From shells

Limestone

• Formed when existing rocks are changed by heat and pressure. The process does not melt the rock but changes the structure and minerals inside it.

• They can start as igneous, sedimentary, or another metamorphic rock.

Metamorphic Rocks

• Limestone -> Marble

• Shale -> Slate

Get ready for some questions

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between magma and lava?

• Magma is molten, lava is solid rock

• Magma cools to form igneous rock, lava cools to form sedimentary rock

• Magma is on the surface, lava is underground

• Magma is underground, lava is on the surface

• I'm not sure

Multiple Select

Which of the following processes forms igneous rock? (hint: there's two)

• Slow cooling of molten rock deep below the Earth's surface

• Fast cooling of molten rock following a volcanic eruption

• Heating and compression of rocks deep below the Earth's surface

• Cementing together and compaction of sediment

Multiple Select

Which of the following are types of sediment?

• Mud on the bottom of a lake

• Pebbles on a beach

• Fresh lava on a volcano

• Sand in a desert

• I'm not sure

Multiple Choice

A geologist has two rock samples. Identify the types of rocks she found.

• Rock A is igneous and rock B is sedimentary

• Rock A is sedimentary and rock B is igneous

• Both rocks are sedimentary

• Both rocks are igneous

• I'm not sure

Match

Match each parent rock to the metamorphic rock it turns into. Use the image to help you.

• Limestone

• Slate

• Schist

Marble

Schist

Gneiss

• Marble

• Schist

• Gneiss

Fill in the Blanks

rocks are formed by heat and pressure acting on existing rocks.

Reorder

Rearrange the steps in the formation of sedimentary rock:

• Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces

• Layers of sediment build up over time

• Sediments are compacted and cemented

1

2

3

• 1
• 2
• 3

The Rock Cycle

The main processes of the rock cycle include:

• Melting - rock melts into magma

• Cooling - magma cools to form igneous rock

• Weathering / Erosion - rocks break into sediment

• Compaction / Cementation - sediments form sedimentary rock

• Heat / Pressure - rocks become metamorphic rocks

Activity: The Rock Cycle

1. Cut out this image (do not worry about the word bank below) and glue it into your books

2. Using the word bank as help, try to fill in the blanks