Rocks Flashcards
What is ‘rock’?
Rock is the solid material that makes up the Earth’s surface.
What is ‘rock’ made of?
Rock is made up of a mixture of minerals that are compressed together.
Where are minerals mostly found?
Minerals usually exist in rocks and crystals.
Name the 3 types of rock.
-Metamorphic
-Sedimentary
-Igneous
What is igneous rock?
Igneous rocks form when magma (molten rock) cools and crystallizes, either at volcanoes on the surface of the Earth or while the melted rock is still inside the crust.
What is sedimentary rock?
Sedimentary rocks form from eroded sediments and/or plant and animal remains.
What is metamorphic rock?
A metamorphic rock, began as a rock—either a sedimentary, igneous, or even a different sort of metamorphic rock. Then, due to various conditions within the Earth, the existing rock was changed into a new kind of metamorphic rock.
What is limestone?
Limestone is a sedimentary rock made of calcium and carbonate. It was formed from the remains of tiny shells and micro-skeletons deposited on the sea bed and then compressed over millions of years.
What is strata?
Strata is layers of sediment/rock.
What are some key features of limestone landscapes?
-Limestone pavement (slabs of lime stone that consist of clints and grykes)
-cockpit karst ( karst landscapes consist of limestone areas that have been sculpted by a combination of erosion and chemical dissolution)
-Caves (caves are large eroded away areas)
-stalagmites and stalagtites (Icicle looking limestone pieces that either patrude from the ground or hang from the ceiling)
How do tors form?
Molten magma in the mantle rises and seeps into the cracks of the crust this then forms a batholith. This then gets uplifted, eroded and weathered to form a tor.
