A naturally occurring solid made of minerals or mineral like matter Means that a rock can be made of many minerals or just one mineral. Every mineral is a rock, but not every rock is a mineral Some rocks are made of no minerals Example: Coal (made of once living materials) Since Earth is a system, then must conclude that the rocks that make up this Earth are part of this system that interact with each other in order to make new and different rock types

Continuous changing of one rock type into another rock type Three types of rocks in the rock cycle are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic ALL OF THESE ROCK TYPES ARE CLASSIFIED BY THEIR ORIGINS (HOW THEY WERE FORMED)

*** Rocks DO NOT have to complete the entire circle in order to become other rocks**

All power for this cycle comes from the two main power sources on Earth 1. Sun  Powers and adds energy for anything on the surface of the Earth Rocks’ processes that are powered by the Sun  Sedimentary 2. Core  (Sometimes referred to the Earth’s Interior) Powers and adds energy to anything under the surface of the Earth Rocks’ processes that are powered by the earth’s interior  Igneous and Metamorphic

1. Igneous Rocks Formed from the cooling or solidification of magma (which is found underground) or lava (which is found above ground) Characteristics that can be found in an igneous rock are crystals and holes from air pockets getting trapped in lava

Igneous rocks form in three places: a. Under or near of a volcano b. Very deep underground where the crust melts the rocks with heat from the core c. Bottom of the ocean floor where the plates of the ocean floor have opened up and allowed material from the mantle to escape

Two types of Igneous Rocks a. Intrusive Igneous Rocks Forms deep underground, cools very slowly, has larger crystals (coarse texture) b. Extrusive Igneous Rocks Forms near or on the surface of the Earth, cools very rapidly, and has holes and/or smaller crystals (fine texture)

2. Sedimentary Rocks > Form from the compaction (pressing together) and cementation (gluing the pieces together) of small pieces of rocks called sediments Does is matter how big a sediment is? No >These are the only type of rock that can hold fossils which are the once living remains of a living organism >Sediments are made from: Weathering  Breaking of rocks into smaller pieces Erosion  Moving the sediments away Deposition  Settling of sediments down

Sedimentary rocks are found on or near the surface of the Earth Wherever rock is eroded and settles down, you will find sedimentary rocks Characteristics of this rock are grains of sand and silt, flat layers of sediments, fossils, and trace fossils (imprints in the rock)

Metamorphic Rocks Form from heat and/or pressure being applied to a hard rock, and the old rock becomes a new rock with new properties and characteristics Does the rock have to be heated and pressurized in order to make a metamorphic rock? NO Characteristics for this rock will be the banded or striped appearances that are formed when the rock is heated and/or pressurized

Metamorphic rocks are found in zones that are only a few kilometers below the surface but no further than that What happens to rocks if you go further than a few kilometers? Melts Metamorphic rocks are also found near mountain ranges because of all the plate movement that is pushing and compressing the rocks of the mountains together