Rocks Flashcards
Name two types of igneous rock.
Basalt and granite.
How are basalt rocks made?
After a volcanic or fissure eruption, on the earths surface the lava cools quickly forming basalt.
How is granite formed?
Granite is formed in the earths crust from magma, the magma cools slowly forming granite.
Where can basalt be found in Ireland?
Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim
Where can granite be found in Ireland?
Wicklow Mountains and Mourne Mts [Co. Down]
What kind of crystals are visible in basalt?
No crystals visible due to rapid cooling
What kind of crystals are found in granite?
Large crystals are visible due to slow rate of cooling.
What can granite be used for?
Worktops
What can basalt be used for?
Road chippings
Name the three types of rock.
Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
Name two sedimentary rocks?
Limestone and sandstone
Where can sandstone be found in Ireland?
Co. Kerry
Where in Ireland can limestone be found?
The Burren [Co. Clare] and the Midlands
How is limestone formed?
From the remains of plants and animals. It’s an organic sedimentary rock.
How is sandstone formed?
It’s formed from the remains of sediments (broken down rock) and is an inorganic sedimentary rock.
What is sediment?
Broken down rock
What happens to sediment and remains of plants and animals over millions of years?
They build up over millions of years on ocean and lake floors. They are compressed, compacted and cemented together.
How are igneous rock formed?
Igneous rocks form when magma and lava cool down making granite and basalt.
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
Sedimentary rocks are formed when rock particles build up on the sea floor or a lake bed.
How are metamorphic rocks formed?
Metamorphic rocks form when the great heat of magma and lava as well as pressure from plate movement changes rocks.
Give an example of where metamorphic rocks would be?
Sugar Loaf (Co. Wicklow)
What kind of an igneous rock is granite and what colour is it?
It’s pale grey/pink and it is intrusive.
What kind of igneous rock is basalt and what colour is it?
It’s extrusive and it’s dark black/brown.
What can sandstone be used for and what colour is it?
It’s red and it can be used for building, decorative stone.
What colour is limestone and what can it be used for?
It’s grey and it can be used for cement, steel making.
Give two types of metamorphic rocks?
Quartzite and marble.
What colour is marble and what can it be used for?
Marble can be in a lot of colours and it can be used for flooring, countertops and more.
What colour is quartzite and what can it be used for?
Usually white to grey, it can be used for roofing tiles, as flooring,
How is marble formed?
when limestone is heated to an extreme temperature that the minerals grow larger and fuse together.
How is quartzite formed?
Quartzite forms when sandstone is altered by heat, pressure, and chemical activity of metamorphism
Where can marble be found in Ireland?
Connemara (green marble) and Kilkenny (black marble)
Where can quartzite be found in Ireland?
Croagh Patrick (Mayo) and Sugar Loaf (Wicklow)
