3 Processes in Rock Cycle

Question 1

Weathering

Answer 1

Breakdown of rocks at or near earth surface through the action of physical chemical, or biological agents.

Question 2

Erosion

Answer 2

The process that wears away rock, usually after the rock has been weathered. Wind, ice, water and gravity remove weathered rock or sediments and dissolve material to another location.

Question 3

Deposition

Answer 3

The process in which settlements are dropped by transporting agents and allowed to accumulate in depositional environments.

Question 4

Compaction

Answer 4

When loose sediment settles in a definitional environment as more sediment is laid on top, the sediment is progressively buried and compacted together. This pressure of the overlaying sediment can squeeze the water and air out of the poor spaces between the grains and compress the sediment into a smaller volume.

Question 5

Cementation

Answer 5

When the reduced pour spaces between compacted, sediment grains are filled with minerals, like calcite, silica, iron, oxide and clay, which are precipitated from solutions, percolating through sediments, cement the loose sediment particles together to form sedimentary rock.

Question 6

Burial

Answer 6

The process where sedimentary rocks progressively are exposed to increase pressure and temperatures.

Question 7

Metamorphism

Answer 7

Occurs deep below the Earth surface when minerals and textures within a rock change in response to temperatures and pressure differences in comparison to the surface.
Compression an elevated temperatures can cause some minerals to become the stabilise and recrystallise altering the mineral, composition and texture of rock, becoming metamorphic.

Question 8

Defomation

Answer 8

The process in which rocks are folded, and faulted, referring to the change in shape of a rock unit, in response to the application of forces acting upon the Rock either due to compression or extension (converging, or diverging plate boundaries). Some rocks might behave, brittle and fracture or maybe more ductile and fold easily.

Question 9

Mountain building

Answer 9

The result of plate tectonics, which can occur at both diverging and converging plate margins, but more obvious at converging plate margins.

Question 10

Partial melting

Answer 10

Partial melting is the melting of some minerals, while others remain solid due to varying melting points. Partial melting occurs in the mantle where melting points of minerals are lowered by hydration or decompression.

Question 11

Uplift

Answer 11

The process where rocks that were once deeply buried rise upwards to the surface. Can occur due to plate, tectonics or isostatic balancing.

Question 12

Crystallisation

Answer 12

As the molten rock cools, minerals begin to grow as atoms, come together and bond with each other to form a central core or nucleus, which continues to grow as more atoms bond to the outside. The composition and temperature of the rock determines which mineral crystals grow. The cooling rate of the rock determines the size and shape of mineral crystals. 

Question 13

how are igneous rocks formed

Answer 13

igneous rocks are former when liquid rock, or magma, crystallises

Question 14

clastic sedimentary rocks

Answer 14

Rocks formed from clast, or fragments of rocks and minerals. An example of a clastic sedimentary rock is sandstone

Question 15

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Answer 15

rocks that are formed by chemical precipitation. Example: limestone when precipitated from warm water

Question 16

Organic Sedimentary rocks

Answer 16

Composed of material formed by biological processes (e.g coal;formed from plants, limestone; when formed from coral skeletons)