Rock Notes

Rocks are classified according to their origins. There are 3 types of rocks: igneous,
sedimentary, and metamorphic.

1. Igneous- result of magma and lava becoming solid. They are the only rocks made from a hot
liquid. When the magma or lava cools down, it’ll begin to solidify and crystallize. Based on how
quickly the magma or lava cools down, you’ll have either smaller or larger crystals.

There are 2 kinds of igneous rocks:

a. Plutonic- intrusive rocks- cool under ground. The magma takes a long time to cool, so there
are big crystals. There is 1 exception though- pegmatite has very big crystals because the magma
had a lot of water, but it’s not plutonic
b. Volcanic- it’s an extrusive rock- magma is above the ground. It cools quickly so it has small
crystals.
Some magma cools so quickly that there are no crystals such as volcanic glass and obsidian.
Sometimes there are gas bubbles in the lava so the rocks are going to form vesicles or air bubbles
in the rocks.
We classify igneous rocks according to their crystal size and color- some are light colored and
some are dark colored. The color signifies their mineral composition.
Light colored rocks are felsic rocks because they are basically made up of feldspar and silicon.
Dark colored rocks are mafic rocks because they are made up of magnesium and ferrum.

2. Sedimentary- formed from the weathered remains of preexistent rocks that are compressed
and cemented together. The pieces that sedimentary rocks are usually made up of are rounded by
abrasion and deposited in layers. Sometimes there’s a thin layer of sedimentary rocks
underground on top of all other kinds of rocks. Most fossils are found in sedimentary rocks.
a. Clastic - made up of all different size particles. The most common type of sedimentary rocks.
b. Organic - has organic remains. It is rich in fossils: includes coal and chalk
c. Chemical - made up of sediment precipitation. There are chemical reactions in certain liquids
that will form precipitates.

3. Metamorphic- form when sedimentary or igneous rocks are changed by intense heat or
pressure. These are the only rocks that come directly from other rocks.
There are two types of metamorphic rock.
a. Foliated – banding
b. Nonfoliated – no banding
2 types of metamorphism that take place:

1. Regional metamorphosis- rocks form deep within the earth. We see these rocks mainly when
rocks are pushed up when mountains form. Metamorphic rocks usually form the core of the
mountain.
2. Contact metamorphosis- rocks are changed near earth’s surface because of nearby magma
and lava. Contact metamorphosis doesn’t change as drastically as regional metamorphosis.