Rocks, Minerals, and Soil

Choose your Topic: Note: After completing each section, click the “Home” button to return to this screen. Minerals Rocks The Rock Cycle Soil Erosion

Definition: A mineral is an inorganic, homogeneous solid Inorganic means never been alive Homogeneous means made of only one thing Minerals

Examples: Gold, iron, copper, salt, diamonds, coal, feldspar, calcium, phosphorus IronFeldsparGold

Rocks Definition: More than one kind of mineral stuck together

Three types of rocks Igneous - May have crystals, no layers, may have holes, might look “glass-like” Metamorphic - May have layers of crystals or minerals, wavy lines Sedimentary - May have layers, rounded particles, rough and grainy

Deep inside the Earth, rocks and minerals melt under tremendous heat. This forms magma. When the magma cools back down, it hardens and forms new rocks. These rocks are called IGNEOUS rocks. IGNEOUS ROCKS How are they made?

IGNEOUS ROCKS Samples of Igneous Rocks Basalt, granite, obsidian, pumice

Some rocks are changed by heat and pressure. New rocks are formed. Deep inside the Earth Layers of sediment Metamorphic rocks form METAMORPHIC ROCKS How are they made?

METAMORPHIC ROCKS Samples of Metamorphic Rocks

The forces of wind, water, and gravity break rocks down into little pieces. This is called weathering. Big rocks Smaller rocks Sand SEDIMENTARY ROCKS How are they made?

After a long time, these little pieces of rocks get stuck back together and form new rocks. Time + Pressure SEDIMENTARY ROCKS How are they formed?

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS Samples of Sedimentary Rocks Sandstone, limestone, shale, conglomerate

The Rock Cycle To access an interactive website, click here. If the link doesn’t work, go to: ns/es0602/es0602page02.cfm

Soil In this section, you will learn about the layers of soil, how soil is formed, and what soil is made of.

Topsoil - where plants get their nutrients Subsoil - not as much organic material Parent Material - provides the minerals in soil Bedrock - mostly solid rock Layers of Soil

Soil Formation It takes about 500 years for 1 inch of topsoil to form. Soil is formed as rocks are weathered and covered with organic material.

Components of Soil

Erosion happens when pieces of rocks and soil are carried away by wind and water. Erosion What is erosion? It can be beautiful.

Erosion happens when pieces of rocks and soil are carried away by wind and water. Erosion What is erosion? It can be devastating. Farmer’s field gets washed away A house too close to a river

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