ROCKS: The Building

Blocks of Lithosphere

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF

ROCKS. THEY ARE:
Rocks are made up of one or more minerals.
1. Igneous Rocks : Formed from the cooling of molten
rock.
A. Extrusive (Volcanic) igneous rocks formed
from molten rock that cooled quickly on or near the
earth's surface.
B.Intrusive (Plutonic) igneous rocks are the
result of the slow cooling of molten rock far beneath
the surface.
2. Sedimentary Rocks : Formed in layers as the
result of moderate pressure on accumulated
sediments.
3. Metamorphic Rocks : Formed from older "parent"
rock (either igneous or sedimentary) under intense
heat and/or pressure at considerable depths beneath

Igneous Rock
Igneous rock forms when magma
cools and makes crystals.
Magma is a hot liquid made of
melted minerals. The minerals can
form crystals when they cool.
Igneous rock can form underground,
where the magma cools slowly. Or,
igneous rock can form above ground,
where the magma cools quickly.

Kinds of Igneous Rocks

Intrusive (plutonic) formed when
magma that crystallized at some
depth.
Extrusive (volcanic and
pyroclastic rocks) formed when
molten material reached the earths
surface (LAVA) and crystallize.
In general, extrusive rocks have a
finer grained texture than intrusive
rocks.

IGNEOUS ROCK

GRANITE

DIORITE

GABBRO

PERIDOTITE

RHYOLITE

ANDESITE

BASALT

VOLCANIC

KOMATIITE

Sedimentary rocks
Sedimentary rocks form from pre-existing rock
particles - igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary.
The Parent rock undergoes WEATHERING by chemical
and/or physical mechanisms into smaller particles.
These particles are TRANSPORTED by ice, air or
water to a region of lower energy called a sedimentary
basin.
DEPOSITION takes place as a result of a lowering of
hydraulic energy, organic biochemical activity or
chemical changes (e.g., solubility).
Once deposited, the sediments are LITHIFIED (turned
into rock) through COMPACTION (decrease in rock
volume due to weight of overlying sediment) and
CEMENTATION (chemical precipitation in pore spaces
between grains which "glues" the rock together.
The primary mineralogical and textural characteristics
of the rock can be modified as the sediments are
buried deeper in the earth's crust and undergo an
increase in both temperature and pressure. These low

Detrital sedimentary
rocks
Detrital sedimentary rocks are those
for which the material has been
transported as solid particles.
The particles themselves may have
derived from either physical weathering or
chemical weathering.
The texture of sedimentary rocks is
described as "clastic", meaning that they
are composed of discrete particles that are
compacted and cemented together.
An example of a non-clastic texture would
be crystalline material.

Detrital Sedimentary Rocks

Sediment name
and particle size
Gravel (>2 mm)

Sand (1/16 to 2
mm)

Description

Rock
Name

Rounded rock fragments

Conglomer
ate

Angular rock fragments

Brecia

Quartz predominates

Quartz
sandstone

Quartz with considerable feldspar

Arkose

Dark color, quartz with considerable

Graywacke
feldspar, clay and rocky fragments
Mud (<1/16
mm)

Splits into thin layers

Shale

Breaks into clumps or blocks

Mudstone

Chemical sedimentary
rocks
Chemical sedimentary rocks
derive from material that is carried in
solution to lakes and seas.
If the solute precipitates out of the
solution to form chemical sediments,
rocks such as limestone can be
formed.

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Group

Inorganic

Biochemical

Texture

Composition

Rock Name

Clastic or
nonclastic

calcite, CaCO3

Limestone

Nonclastic

Dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2

Dolostone

Nonclastic

Microcrystalline quartz,
SiO2

Chert

Nonclastic

Halite, NaCl

Rock salt

Nonclastic

gypsum, CaSO4.2H2O

Rock gypsum

Clastic or
nonclastic

calcite, CaCO3

Limestone

Nonclastic

Microcrystalline quartz,
SiO2

Chert

Nonclastic

Altered plant remains

Coal

 Sedimentary rocks include common

types such as chalk, limestone,
sandstone, clay and shale.

Metamorphic rocks
Metamorphic rock is rock that has been altered by
heat or by heat and pressure.
Metamorphic' means change of form'; heat and
pressure can change the forms of many things,
for example, a glassmaker uses heat to change a
certain kind of sand into glass.
Rocks change when mountain-building forces
apply a great deal of pressure and heat to them.
Rock is changed by heat produced by nearby
molten igneous rock, that is, molten rock, or by
both heat and pressure produced mainly by
movements in the earth's surface which are
associated with the formation of mountains.

Rock Cycle
The rock cycle is a general model that describes
how various geological processes create, modify,
and influence rocks . This suggests that the origin
of all rocks can be ultimately traced back to the
solidification of molten magma.
Magma consists of a partially melted mixture of
elements and compounds commonly found in
rocks.
Magma exists just beneath the solid crust of the
Earth in an interior zone known as the mantle.

The Rock Cycle

Rock Cycle
Liquid (molten) rock material solidifies at depth or
at the earth's surface to form IGNEOUS ROCKS .
Uplift and exposure of rocks at the Earth's surface
destabilizes these mineral structures. The
minerals break down into smaller grains which
are transported and deposited as sediments.
The sediments are lithified (compacted and
cemented), and SEDIMENTARY ROCKS are
formed. Changes in temperature, pressure, and/or
rock or fluid chemistry can allow igneous and
sedimentary rocks to change physically or
chemically to form METAMORPHIC ROCKS. At
higher temperatures, metamorphic (or any other
rock type) rocks may be partially melted, and
crystallization of this melt will create igneous
rocks. Uplift and erosion can expose all rock types
at the surface, re-initiating the cycle.

Types of Rocks
Characteristics

Examples

Igneous rocks are created when molten

material such as magma (within the Earth) or
lava (on the surface) cools and hardens. The
hot material crystallizes into different
minerals. The properties and sizes of the
various crystals depend on the magma's
composition and its rate of cooling.

Granite
Obsidian
Basalt
Pumice
Andesite
Diorite
Rhyolite

Sedimentary rocks are made up of

sediments eroded from igneous,
metamorphic, other sedimentary rocks, and
even the remains of dead plants and
animals. These materials are deposited in
layers, or strata, and then are squeezed and
compressed into rock. Most fossils are
found in sedimentary rocks.

Sandstone
Shale
Conglomer
ate
Limestone
Chert
Coal
Gypsum

Metamorphic rocks are produced when

sedimentary or igneous rocks are
transformed by heat and/or pressure. The
word "metamorphic" comes from the Greek
language, which means "to change form."

Marble
Slate
Quartzite
Schist
Gneiss