Chapter 2: Inside The Restless Earth Flashcards
A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter
Rock
The series of processes in which rock forms, changes from one type to another, is destroyed, and forms again by geologic processes.
Rock cycle
The process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another
Erosion
The process in which material is laid down
Deposition
The chemical makeup of a rock; describes either the minerals or other materials in the rock
Composition
The quality of a rock that is based on the sizes, shapes, and positions of the rocks grains
Texture
Rock formed from the cooling and solidification of magma beneath earths surface
Intrusive igneous rock
Rock that forms from the cooling and solidification of lava at earths surface
Extrusive igneous rock
Layers of rock
Strata
The process in which sedimentary rocks are arranged in layers
Stratification
Describes the texture of metamorphic rock in which the mineral grains are arranged in planes or bonds
Foliated
Describes the texture of metamorphic rock in which mineral grains are not arranged in planes or bands
Nonfoliated
The rising of regions of the earth’s crust to higher elevations
Uplift
Made of fragments of rocks cemented together by a mineral such as calcite or quartz
Classic sedimentary rock
Forms from solution of dissolved minerals and water.
Chemical sedimentary rock
Forms from the remains, or fossils, of animals that once lived in the ocean
Organic sedimentary rock
One way rock can undergo metamorphism is by being heated by nearby magma
Contact metamorphism
When pressure builds up in rock that is buried deep below other rock formations or when large pieces of the earth’s crust collide with each other
Regional metamorphism
Certain geological processes make and destroy rock. These processes shape the features of our planet. These processes also influence the type of rock that is found in a certain area of earth’s surface.
Processes that shape the earth
Based on texture and composition
Rock classification
Igneous rock begins as magma. There are three ways magma can form: when rock is heated, when pressure is released, or when rock changed composition
Origins of igneous rock
- The light colored rocks are rich in elements such as aluminum, potassium, and sodium. (These rocks are called Felsic rock)
- The dark colored rocks are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, and poor in silicon. ( these rocks are called Mafic rocks)
Composition and texture of igneous rock
Are located above and below the surface of earth
Igneous rock formations
Wind, water, ice, sunlight, and gravity all cause rock yo physically weather into fragments. Through the process of erosion, these rock and mineral fragments, called sediment, are moved from e place to another.
Origins of sedimentary rock
Classic sedimentary rock forms when rock or mineral fragments, called clasts, are cemented together. Chemical sedimentary rock forms when minerals crystallize out of solution, such as seawater, to become rock. Organic sedimentary rock forms from the remains of one-living plants and animals.
Composition of sedimentary rock
Many features can tell you about the way sedimentary rock formed. The most important feature of sedimentary rock is stratification
Sedimentary rock structures
The texture or mineral composition of a rock can change. If the temperature or pressure of the new environment is different from the one in which the rock formed, the rock will undergo metamorphism
Origins of metamorphic rock
Metamorphism occurs when temperature and pressure inside the earth’s change. Minerals that were present in the rock when it formed may not be stable in the new temperature and pressure conditions
Composition of metamorphic rock
All metamorphic rock has one of two textures-foliated or nonfoliated
Textures of metamorphic rock
Like igneous and sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock also has features that tell you about its history. In metamorphic rocks, these features are caused by deformation
Metamorphic rock structures
