Rock Cycle Vocabulary Words Flashcards
Rock
A solid made up of many different minerals.
Sedimentary Rock
Rocks that have been formed through the deposition of and solidification of sediment
Igneous Rock
Formed by a volcano or the solidification of molten rock.
Metamorphic
Formed by extreme heat or pressure that changes the structure of rock.
Rock Cycle
The Process in which rocks are continuously transformed between the 3 rock types.
Sediment
Mineral or organic matter carried and deposited by water or wind that may consolidate into rock.
Weathering
To age or change rock as a result of being exposed to the elements: wind, ice, water, and extreme temperatures.
Erosion
The movement of small pieces of rock or sediment due to wind, water, gravity and other natural forces.
Cementation
The hardening and sticking of minerals grains.
Molten
Liquified by heat.
Magma
A hot, molten rock below the earth’s surface.
Lava
Molten rocks that erupts from a volcano; also the solid rock that forms when molten rocks cool above earth’s surface.
Deposition
When sediments are deposited or dropped off in a different location.