1. Rock Vocabulary

2. Word
definition
Rock
Types
Word in
sentence
illustration

3. Extrusive Rock
Igneous rock formed from lava that erupted onto Earth’s surface.
Basalt is the most common extrusive rock. Basalt forms much of the earths crust and oceanic crust.

4. Intrusive Rock
Igneous rock that formed when magma hardened beneath Earth’s surface.
Granite is the most abundant intrusive rock in continental crust.

5. Sediment
Small solid pieces of material that come from rocks or living things.
Water, wind and ice can carry sediment and deposit it in layers.

6. Erosion
Destructive forces are constantly breaking up and wearing away all the rocks on Earth’s surface. These forces include heat and cold, rain, waves and grinding ice. Erosion occurs when running water or wind loosen and carry away the fragments of rock.

7. Deposition
Process by which sediment settles out of the water or wind carrying it. After sediment has been deposited, the processes of compaction and cementation change the sediments into sedimentary rock.

8. Compaction
The process that presses sediments together. Year after year more sediment falls on top, creating new layers. The weight of the layers further compact the sediments, squeezing them tightly together. Layers form sedimentary rock.

9. Cementation
Process in which dissolved minerals crystallize and glue particles of sediment together. While compaction is taking place, the minerals in the rock slowly dissolve in the water. The dissolved minerals seep into the spaces between particles of sediment.

10. Classic Rock
A sedimentary rock that forms when rock fragments are squeezed together. Shale, sandstone, conglomerate and Breccia are examples.

11. Organic Rock
Forms where the remains of plants and animals are deposited in think layers. Coal and Limestone are examples of organic rock.