The Rock Cycle

Flashcards about the rock cycle.

What is rock?

A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals that may also include organic matter.

What do natural processes do to rock?

Natural processes change each type of rock into other types and shape Earth’s features.

What are some factors that cause weathering?

Water, wind, ice, and changes in temperature.

What is weathering?

The process by which rock is broken down by water, wind, ice, and changes in temperature.

What is sediment?

Fragments of rock that have been broken down

What is erosion?

The process by which sediment is moved from one place to another.

What can erode sediments?

Water, wind, ice and gravity.

What is deposition?

The process by which sediment comes to rest.

What is metamorphic rock?

Rock that is squeezed by the weight of rock or layers of sediment above it can change into this.

What is magma?

Molten rock.

What is lava?

Magma that reaches Earth’s surface.

What are the three classes of rocks?

Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

What is igneous rock?

Rock that forms when magma cools and hardens; can form on or beneath Earth’s surface.

What is intrusive igneous rock?

Igneous rock that forms when magma cools beneath Earth’s surface.

What is extrusive igneous rock?

Igneous rock that forms when lava cools on Earth’s surface.

What is sedimentary rock?

Rock that forms when sediment from older rocks or minerals that form from solutions get pressed and cemented together.

What is metamorphic rock?

Rock that forms when pressure, temperature, or chemical processes change existing rock.

What is the rock cycle?

The series of processes by which rock changes from one type to another.

How do tectonic plate motions affect the rock cycle?

Tectonic plate motions can move rock around, leading to changes in the rock. These plate motions can move rock up or down.

What is uplift?

The rising of regions of the crust to higher elevations, increasing the rate of erosion.

What is subsidence?

The sinking of regions of the crust to lower elevations, producing basins where sediment is deposited.

What is a rift zone?

A set of deep cracks that form between two tectonic plates that are pulling apart.