Rock Transformations Study Guide

Georgina is a rock collector. She is looking at some information about two of the rocks she has collected on her travels. The information is as follows:

• Rock A formed from small pieces of rock.

• Rock B formed from liquid rock in a different place.

• Rocks A and B formed at about the same time.

Are Rocks A and B the same or different types of rock?

The rocks are

• 
  the same type because they both formed from rock material.

• the same type because they formed at the same time.

• different types because they formed in different ways.

• 
  different types because they formed in different places.

Hank passes by a building every day on his way to school. He notices that the rock used to build the walls of the building is a different type than the rock used to build the steps. How could energy have played a role in the different rock types forming?

• Energy from different sources leads to different types of rock. Energy inside Earth melts rock into liquid rock, but energy from the sun causes rock to weather into small pieces of rock.

• Energy caused one rock type to form, but not the other. Rock that forms because of energy is a different type of rock than rock that forms without energy.

• Energy changes rock in different ways, depending on the starting rock type. Energy changes igneous rock into liquid rock and changes sedimentary rock into small pieces of rock.

• Energy changes rock on different continents in different ways. Each continent on Earth has different rock that might form liquid rock or small rock pieces when exposed to energy.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

A geology student describes a rock sample she is  studying in class. The rock sample is igneous rock, but the student wonders if the material that it formed from was part of a sedimentary rock formation millions of years ago. Could this be correct? Could the material for igneous rock come from sedimentary rock?

• 
  Yes, if sedimentary rock is exposed to energy from the sun at Earth’s surface for a long enough time, it can melt into liquid rock and form igneous rock.

• Yes, if sedimentary rock is moved below Earth’s outer layer and exposed to energy from Earth’s interior, it can melt into liquid rock and form igneous rock.

• No, igneous rock can only form from other igneous rock. Sedimentary rock cannot change into igneous rock.

• No, igneous rock forms under Earth’s outer layer due to energy from Earth’s interior, but sedimentary rock only forms at Earth’s surface.

On the island of Hawaii, Keanu notices that the sand on the beach is black, the same color as the rock formations on the island. Keanu realizes the sand used to be part of the rock formations. How did material from the rock formations turn into sand?

• Rays from the sun shone down on the rock, and it broke into pieces.

• If anything were left out for a long time, it would break into small pieces.

• The sand was formed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. These disasters were strong enough to break the rock into small pieces.

• Wind and rain interacted with the rock, breaking it into small pieces.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

On vacation at a lake, Saira’s mom sees an interesting-looking rock formation. Saira just learned about rocks in geology class and tells her mom that the formation is made of gneiss, a type of metamorphic rock. How did this metamorphic rock form?

• Rocks don’t form; they stay as they are.

• It melted and cooled.

• 
  It broke into sediment and then compacted.

• It was heated and put under pressure.

Geologists in Egypt and Ethiopia are comparing rock samples from rocks found in the two countries. They are sharing information about the rocks to figure out whether they are the same or different types of rock. The information is as follows:

• Rock A formed from small pieces of rock.

• Rock B formed from liquid rock in a different place.

• Rocks A and B  formed at about the same time.  

Are Rocks A and B the same or different types of rock?

The rocks are...

• different types because they formed in different ways.

• different types because they formed in different places.

• the same type because they both formed from rock material.

• the same type because they formed at the same time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Reina is making museum exhibits about two different rock types. How could energy have played a role in the different rock types forming?

• Energy causes different types of rock to change in different ways. Energy changes igneous rock into liquid rock and changes sedimentary rock into small pieces of rock.

• Energy caused one rock type to form, but not the other. Rock that forms because of energy is a different type of rock than rock that forms without energy.

• Energy from different sources leads to different types of rock. Energy inside Earth melts rock into liquid rock, but energy from the sun causes rock to weather into small pieces.

• Energy changes rock on different continents in different ways. Each continent on Earth has different rock that might form liquid rock or small rock pieces when exposed to energy.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

Geologists have evidence of an igneous rock formation under Earth’s outer layer. Is it possible that material from this rock formation could ever form sedimentary rock on Earth’s surface?

• No, sedimentary rock can only form out of material from other sedimentary rock. There is no way that sedimentary rock can form from material in igneous rock.

• No, sedimentary rock forms at Earth’s surface because energy from the sun causes rock to weather, but igneous rock under Earth’s outer layer is not exposed to energy from the sun.

• Yes, energy from Earth’s interior can cause igneous rock to break into small rock pieces that can form sedimentary rock.

• Yes, if igneous rock is moved to Earth’s surface and exposed to energy from the sun, it could weather into small rock pieces that could form sedimentary rock.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Giovanni and his family go on a trip and they drive over a mountain range. Giovanni wonders how the rock they see as they drive over the mountain range might be different when they drive back home next week. What would you tell Giovanni about how the rock will change?

• The rock will probably change a lot. Rock is always changing and transforming.

• The rock is not likely to change very much. Most rock transformation processes happen very slowly.

• The rock will not change at all. Rock just stays as it is.

• The rock might change if it is the right season.

Africa and Europe are very close to each other, but they used to be far apart. Which diagram above shows what happened to the plates that Africa and Europe are part of?

• Diagram A: The plates hit each other and broke into pieces, creating sand.

• Diagram B: The plates pushed against each other, causing the edges to bend upward.

• Diagram C: One plate went underneath the other plate and sank into the soft rock below.

• Diagram D: One plate went underneath the other plate and sank into the ocean below.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3