BY STUTI GUPTA…

 What is a rock?
 About rocks
 Difference between rocks and minerals.
 Types of rocks
 The rock cycle
A rock is a solid mineral material forming
part of the surface of the earth and other
similar planets exposed on the surface or
underlying the soil.
 Rockstell us the story of the Earth. The
earth is made up of rock, from the tallest
mountains to the floor of the deepest ocean.
Thousands of different types of rocks and
minerals have been found on Earth. But
remember, rocks and minerals are different
things.
 Rocks are groups of different minerals pushed
together and combined. They don’t have easy
chemical formulas to describe their makeup. A
ruby is considered as a mineral. It is nice, pretty
crystal with the same compounds throughout the
object.
 But the rock that surrounds that ruby has many,
many different compounds (and even a few
pieces of ruby mixed in). There’s an easy
example that many people can relate to. Think
about quartz. On its own (as a mineral) it is a
nice pretty crystal. But a piece of granite has
often has loads of quartz. It’s ground up and
crushed but still it has bits of quartz. So, granite
is a rock and quartz is a mineral.
 The three main types, or classes, of rock
are sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous and
the differences among them have to do with how
they are formed.
 Sedimentary
Sedimentary rocks are formed from particles of sand,
shells, pebbles, and other fragments of material.
Together, all these particles are called sediment.
Gradually, the sediment accumulates in layers and
over a long period of time hardens into rock.
Generally, sedimentary rock is fairly soft and may
break apart or crumble easily. You can often see
sand, pebbles, or stones in the rock, and it is usually
the only type that contains fossils. Sedimentary rock
types are created when sediment compresses.
 Examples of this rock type include conglomerate and
limestone.
 Metamorphic
Metamorphic rocks are formed under the
surface of the earth from the metamorphosis
(change) that occurs due to intense heat and
pressure (squeezing). The rocks that result
from these processes often have ribbon like
layers and may have shiny crystals, formed
by minerals growing slowly over time, on
their surface. This rock type is created by
heat and/or pressure.
 Examples of this rock type include gneiss and
marble.
 Igneous
Igneous rocks are formed when magma (molten rock
deep within the earth) cools and hardens. Sometimes
the magma cools inside the earth, and other times it
erupts onto the surface from volcanoes (in this case,
it is called lava). When lava cools very quickly, no
crystals form and the rock looks shiny and glasslike.
Sometimes gas bubbles are trapped in the rock during
the cooling process, leaving tiny holes and spaces in
the rock. Igneous rocks are the ones that
were superheated and originally liquid. They come
from the center of the Earth! Not really the center,
but they often start their lives below the crust and
then get pumped out.
 Examples of this rock type include basalt and
obsidian.
 Rocks often change during this process.
During the rock cycle, rocks form deep in
the Earth, move and sometimes change, go
up to the surface, and eventually return
below the ground.
 The Rock Cycle is a group of changes.
Igneous rock can change into sedimentary
rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary
rock can change into metamorphic rock or
into igneous rock. Metamorphic rock can
change into igneous or sedimentary rock.
 The rock cycle is an illustration that is used
to explain how the three rock types are
related to each other and how Earth
processes change a rock from one type to
another through geologic time. Plate
tectonic movement is responsible for the
recycling of rock materials and is the driving
force of the rock cycle.
Thank you!