6th Grade Unit 2 Lesson 3 The Rock Cycle

mineral

naturally occurring, inorganic, solid that has a definite crystalline structure and chemical composition

rock

A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals and/or organic matter

organic material

a material made of a living thing

inorganic material

a material not made up of living things or the remains of living things

rock cycle

model of the processes causing rocks to change from one type to another (and possibly another rock of the same type)

magma

molten rock inside the earth

lava

liquid magma that reaches Earth's surface

igneous rock

rock which forms when magma or lava cools and hardens to become solid

sediment

small, solid pieces of matter that settle on Earth's surface (usually pieces broken off of rocks or living things)

weathering

process of breaking rocks - causes may include water, wind, ice, changes in temperature, force from living things, and chemical reactions

erosion

process which moves sediment from one place to another

deposition

the settling of sediments when erosion ends; when sediments get dropped in an area

compacted

squeezed together by the weight of sediments on top of them

cemented

tiny minerals crystallize in the pore spaces between sediments, making everything stick together

solution

A mixture that forms when one substance dissolves another

sedimentary rocks

rock which forms when minerals form from solutions or when sediments get pressed and cemented together

metamorphic rocks

rock which forms when pressure, temperature, or chemical processes change existing rock

metamorphism

changing the composition or structure of a rock by heat, pressure, or chemical processes like a reaction with hot fluids

uplift

rising of regions of the crust to a higher elevation

subsidence

the sinking of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations; may form basins where sediments can later be deposited

rift zone

an area of deep cracks that forms between two tectonic plates that are pulling away from each other

texture

size, shape, and positions of the grains that make up a rock

tectonic plates

sections of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents in the mantle below the crust

examples of igneous rock

granite, basalt, obsidian, pumice

examples of metamorphic rocks

marble, slate, gneiss, quartzite

Examples of sedimentary rocks

sandstone, shale, limestone