Rock Cycle

Question 1

What is an igneous rock?

Answer 1

Formed when lava or magma cools

Most cooling happens out of sight, under the ocean or beneath the earth’s crust, sometimes above the surface at volcanic sites.

Question 2

What is the difference between an intrusive igneous rock and an extrusive igneous rock?

Answer 2

Intrusive igneous rocks are formed under the surface of the Earth; extrusive igneous rocks form from lava that cools on the surface.

Question 3

What are the three things that typically happen to sedimentary rocks once they’ve formed?

Answer 3

• The rocks sit in layers at the bottom of the ocean and are used for crude oil and natural gas.
• They act as a bumper when plates hit.
• They are lifted due to tectonic forces, forming plains like the Canadian Shield.

Question 4

What are some of the economic benefits of sedimentary rock formations?

Answer 4

• Elements of concrete come from sedimentary rocks.
• They contain fossil fuels.

Question 5

What defines a metamorphic rock?

Answer 5

Changed versions of igneous and sedimentary rock due to heat and pressure from deep burial or magma movement.

Question 6

What happens to the hardness of rock when it becomes metamorphic?

Answer 6

Metamorphic rocks are usually much harder than the original form of rock.

Question 7

Give an example of a metamorphic rock transformation.

Answer 7

Shale becomes slate; limestone becomes marble.

Question 8

What are some of the economic benefits of metamorphic rocks?

Answer 8

Metamorphic rocks play a large role in the formation of mineral deposits.