Rock Vocabulary

rock

the solid mineral material forming part of the surface of the earth and other similar planets, exposed on the surface or underlying the soil or oceans.

weathering

the process of wearing or being worn by long exposure to the atmosphere.

erosion

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

deposition

the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice.

Igneous rock

form when hot, molten rock crystallizes and solidifies.

Sedimentary rock

formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms. They form from deposits that accumulate on the Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks often have distinctive layering or bedding.

Metamorphic rock

form when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids or, more commonly, some combination of these factors. Conditions like these are found deep within the Earth or where tectonic plates meet.

Rock cycle

an idealized cycle of processes undergone by rocks in the earth's crust, involving igneous intrusion, uplift, erosion, transportation, deposition as sedimentary rock, metamorphism, remelting, and further igneous intrusion.

composition

the types of minerals within a rock and the overall chemical makeup of the rock.

texture

the size, shape, and arrangement of mineral grains or crystals within a rock.

Compaction

the exertion of force on something so that it becomes more dense.

Cementation

a process where sediment is chemically glued together when minerals precipitate from the water they are dissolved in and fill the pore space between compressed sediment.