The Rock Cycle Interactive

The Rock Cycle Interactive Name: ____________________________________________ Period: _____ Date: ___________ Essential Question: How are rocks recycled? The Rock Cycle Diagram: A useful way to illustrate how the three main types of rock are related to one another and how changes to rocks happen in a recurring sequence is the rock cycle. How Rocks Change: The way rocks change depends on various processes that are always taking place on and under the earth's surface. Now let's take a closer look at each of these processes. The processes that change rocks are melting, cooling, weathering and erosion, compaction, cementation, heat and pressure. Melting: It takes a lot of heat to melt a rock. The rock is pulled down by movements in the earth's crust (subduction) and gets hotter and hotter as it goes deeper. It takes temperatures between 600 and 1,300 degrees Celsius (1,100 and 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit) to melt a rock, turning it into a substance called magma (molten rock). Cooling: Any rock that forms from the cooling of magma is an igneous rock. When magma rises from deep within the earth and explodes out of a volcano, it is called lava, and it cools quickly on the surface. Rock formed in this way is called extrusive igneous rock an example of this basalt rock. The kind of rock formed when magma cools slowly is called intrusive igneous rock. An example of an intrusive igneous rock is granite, contains quartz, feldspar, and mica. Weathering & Erosion: Weathering happens when rocks break. Water, wind, temperature changes, and chemicals wear rocks down and break them apart. The resulting pieces of rocks are called sediments. Sediment is then transported by wind and water, and living things, this process is called erosion. Weathering and erosion affect all rocks on the earth's surface. Compacting & Cementing: Sediments are formed from the weathering and erosion of rocks. Over time, sediments accumulates in oceans, lakes, and valleys, eventually building up in layers and weighing down (pressure) the material underneath. This weight presses the sediment particles together, compacting them. Water passing through the spaces in between the particles helps to cement them together even more. This process of compacting and cementing sediment forms sedimentary rock. Since sedimentary rocks are not subjected to heat, fossils can be found in some of them. Igneous and metamorphic rocks involve heat in their formation that is why no fossils can formed in them. Heat and Pressure: Rocks that sink deep into earth’ crust are subjected to extreme heat but the high pressure prevents them from melting. Heat and pressure change any type of rock into a metamorphic rock. Clarifying Questions: 1. What is the rock cycle? The rock cycle is the continuous process of transformation of rocks from one type to another over geological time scales. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What are the processes that change rocks? Rocks change through processes like weathering, erosion, deposition, lithification, metamorphism, melting, crystallization, and uplift. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What temperature is needed to melt a rock and turn it into magma? The temperature needed to melt a rock and turn it into magma typically ranges from around 700°C to 1,200°C. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why does it become hotter as you deeper into earth’s crust? Think! It becomes hotter deeper into Earth's crust due to the geothermal gradient, caused by internal heat and insulation from surrounding rock layers. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How is weathering different from erosion? Weathering breaks down rocks, while erosion transports the broken pieces. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. How are sediment s compacted? Sediments are compacted under pressure from overlying layers, squeezing out air and water between grains. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Why are fossils found in some sedimentary rocks? Fossils are found in some sedimentary rocks because they are formed from the accumulation and lithification of sediment, preserving organic remains. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Why are there no fossils found in igneous and metamorphic rocks? Think! Fossils are not found in igneous and metamorphic rocks because high temperatures and pressures typically destroy organic remains, and their crystalline structure ________________________________________________________________________________________________ doesn't favor fossil preservation. 9. What kind of rock is formed from heat and pressure? Metamorphic rocks are formed from heat and pressure acting on existing rocks, causing recrystallization without melting. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. What kind of rock is formed from heating, melting in magma, cooling and crystallization? Igneous rocks form from the cooling and crystallization of magma. Examples include granite and basalt. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Why are rocks not melting deep in the earth’s crust? Rocks don't melt deep in Earth's crust due to increased pressure raising the melting point, and water-rich minerals can lower the melting point, promoting partial melting. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Why does lava cool faster than magma? Think! Lava cools faster than magma because it's exposed to cooler surface temperatures and often comes into contact with air or water, enhancing the cooling process. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Multiple choice: B ___13. What are the three main types of rock? A. Igneous, pumice, basalt B. Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary B ___14. What is a well-known igneous rock that contains quartz, feldspar, and mica? A. Basalt B. Granite A ___15. Which type of rock is formed when molten magma or lava solidifies? A. Igneous B. Metamorphic C. Sedimentary D ___16. What is an igneous or sedimentary rock that has been changed by extreme pressure and heat? A. Limestone B. Conglomerate C. Granite D. Metamorphic B ___17. Sediments that have been pressed together form which rock? A. Marble B. Sedimentary C. Pumice D. Limestone B ___18. Rocks are recycled from one type of rock into another type of rock through the ____. A. plate tectonics B. rock cycle