| Term | Definition |
|
rock-forming minerals |
minerals that make up most of the rocks of Earth's crust |
|
granite |
a light-colored rock that is low in silica |
|
grains |
most rocks are made up of particles of minerals or other rocks |
|
texture |
the look and feel of the rock's surface |
|
igneous rock |
forms from the cooling of magma or lava |
|
sedimentary rock |
forms when particles of other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together |
|
metamorphic rock |
forms when an existing rock is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions |
|
extrusive rock |
igneous rock formed from lava that erupted onto Earth's surface |
|
intrusive rock |
igneous rock that formed when magma hardened beneath Earth's surface |
|
sediment |
small, solid pieces of material that came from rocks or living things |
|
erosion |
running water, wind, or ice loosen and carry away fragments of rock |
|
deposition |
process by which sediment settles out of the water or wind carrying it |
|
compaction |
process that presses sediments together |
|
cementation |
process in which dissolved materials crystallize and glue particles of sediment together |
|
clastic rocks |
forms when rock fragments are squeezed together |
|
organic rocks |
remains of plants and animals are deposited in thick layers |
|
chemical rocks |
minerals dissolved in a solution crystallize |
|
coral reef |
a structure made of skeletons that have grown together |
|
foliated |
metamorphic rocks that have their grains arranged in parallel layers or bands |
|
rock cycle |
a series of processes on Earth's surface and in the crust and mantle that slowlt change rocks from one kind to another |
|
basalt |
dark-colored rock that is low in silica |