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3 Types of Rocks and the Rock Cycle: Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic - FreeSchool

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The Rock Cycle is a group of changes. Igneous rock can change into sedimentary rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock can change into metamorphic rock or into igneous rock. Metamorphic rock can change into igneous or sedimentary rock.

Igneous rock forms when magma cools and makes crystals. Magma is a hot liquid made of melted minerals. The minerals can form crystals when they cool. Igneous rock can form underground, where the magma cools slowly. Or, igneous rock can form above ground, where the magma cools quickly.

When it pours out on Earth's surface, magma is called lava. Yes, the same liquid rock matter that you see coming out of volcanoes.

On Earth's surface, wind and water can break rock into pieces. They can also carry rock pieces to another place. Usually, the rock pieces, called sediments, drop from the wind or water to make a layer. The layer can be buried under other layers of sediments. After a long time the sediments can be cemented together to make sedimentary rock. In this way, igneous rock can become sedimentary rock.

All rock can be heated. But where does the heat come from? Inside Earth there is heat from pressure (push your hands together very hard and feel the heat). There is heat from friction (rub your hands together and feel the heat). There is also heat from radioactive decay (the process that gives us nuclear power plants that make electricity).

So, what does the heat do to the rock? It bakes the rock.

Baked rock does not melt, but it does change. It forms crystals. If it has crystals already, it forms larger crystals. Because this rock changes, it is called metamorphic. Remember that a caterpillar changes to become a butterfly. That change is called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis can occur in rock when they are heated to 300 to 700 degrees Celsius.

When Earth's tectonic plates move around, they produce heat. When they collide, they build mountains and metamorphose (met-ah-MORE-foes) the rock.

The rock cycle continues. Mountains made of metamorphic rocks can be broken up and washed away by streams. New sediments from these mountains can make new sedimentary rock.

The rock cycle never stops.

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The Rock Cycle is a group of changes. Igneous rock can change into sedimentary rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock can change into metamorphic rock or into igneous rock. Metamorphic rock can change into igneous or sedimentary rock. Igneous rock forms when magma cools and makes crystals.

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It's the first thing you learn in a geology class - very briefly the three types of rocks are:

Igneous; they form from the cooling of magma deep inside the earth. They often have large crystals (you can see then with the naked eye).

Metamorphic; they are formed through the change (metamorphosis) of igneous and sedimentary rocks. They can form both underground and at the surface.

Sedimentary; they are formed through the solidification of sediment. They can be based off of organic remains (such as limestone), or just form from the cementing of other rocks.

Now, the long story, which is much more interesting, is this:

Igneous Rocks

The key element for igneous rocks is magma; magma is a mixture of molten or semi-molten rock, as well as some gases and other volatile elements. The deeper you go underground, the hotter it gets, and if you go deep enough, you reach the mantle - which can be thought of as a huge layer of magma surrounding the Earth's core.

As you probably know, when magma cools, it turns into rock; if it cools in the underground, at higher temperatures (but still lower than that of the magma), the cooling process will take slowly, and crystals will have time to develop. That's why you see rocks such as granite with big crystals - because the magma had time to cool off. The crystals are also differentiated, as you can see below.

However, if the magma erupts or is cooled rapidly, then you get what is called a volcanic rock - not really igneous, but also originating from lava. The classical example here is basalt - small crystals, or very few large ones. Volcanic rocks are also called extrusive igneous rocks, as opposed to intrusive igneous rocks . Some volcanic rocks (like obsidian) don't have any crystals at all.

Not all magma is made equal though - different magmas can have different chemical compositions, different quantities of gases and different temperatures; different magmas -> different rocks. That's why you get this incredible variety. There are over 700 hundred types of igneous rocks, and they are generally the hardest and heaviest (densest) of all rocks. However, volcanic rocks can be incredibly lightweight - pumice, for example, can even float, and was called by ancient sailors "the foam of the sea". This happens when a volcano violently erupts, creating pockets of air in the rock. The most common types of igneous rocks are:

Here, the name says it all - these are rocks that underwent a metamorphosis; they changed. They were either sedimentary or igneous (or even metamorphic), and they changed so much, that they are fundamentally different from the initial rock.

There are two types of metamorphism (change) that can cause this:

contact metamorphism (or termic metamorphism); the rocks are so close to magma that they start to partially melt and change their properties. You can have recrystallization, fusing between crystals and a lot of chemical reactions. Temperature is the main driver here.

regional metamorphism (or dynamic metamorphism); this typically happens when rocks are deep underground and they are subjected to massive pressure - so much that they often become elongated and the original features are destroyed. Pressure (often times with temperature) is the main driver here.

Metamorphic rocks can have crystals and minerals both from the initial rocks, and new minerals resulting from the metamorphosis process. However, some minerals are clear indicators of a metamorphic process. Among these, the most usual ones are garnet, chlorite, and kyanite.

Equally as significant are changes in the chemical environment that result in two metamorphic processes: mechanical dislocation (the rock or some minerals are physically altered) and chemical recrystallization (when the temperature and pressure changes, some crystals aren't stable, and they change into other crystals).

They can be divided into many categories, but they are typically split into:

Foliated metamorphic rocks; where pressure squeezes or elongates the crystals and they have a clear preferential allignment.

Non-foliated metamorphic rocks; where the crystals have no preferential allignment. Some rocks, such as limestone are made of minerals that simply don't elongate, no matter how much stress you apply.

Metamorphic rocks can form in different conditions, in different temperatures (up to 200 °C) and pressures (up to 1500 bars). Simply by being buried deep enough for a long enough time, a rock will become metamorphic. They can form from tectonic processes such as continental collisions, which cause horizontal pressure, friction and distortion; they are also formed when the rock is heated up by the intrusion of hot molten rock called magma from the Earth's interior.

The most common metamorphic rocks are:

amphibolite

schist (blueschist, greenschist, micaschist, etc)

eclogite

gneiss

hornfels

marble

migmatite

phyllite

quartzite

serpentinite

slate

Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks are called that because they were once sediment. Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently naturally transported (or not). Sedimentary rocks from through deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water.

Sedimentary rocks are quite difficult to classify, as you can look at the situation from many different angles (the chemical make-up, the sedimentation process, organic/anorganic material), but the most common classification is the following:

clastic sedimentary rocks; basically small rock fragments (many silicates) transported and deposited by fluids (water, bed flows). These rocks are further classified on the size and composition of the clastic crystals included in the sedimentary rocks (most often quartz, feldspar, mica and clay).

conglomerates (and breccias); conglomerates are dominantly composed of rounded gravel, while breccias are composed of angular (sharper) gravel.

sandstones; as the name says it, it's a rock made from many-sand-sized minerals and rock grains. The most dominant mineral in sandstones is quartz, because it is the most common mineral in the Earth's surface crust.

mudrocks; again, the name says it all - rocks made from solidified mud. They typically contain very fine particles and are transported as suspended particles by turbulent flow in water or air, depositing once the flow settles.

biochemical rocks; you'll probably be surprised to find out that most limestone on the face of the Earth comes from biological sources. In other words, most limestone you see today comes from the skeletons of organisms such as corals, mollusks, and foraminifera. Coal is another example of biochemical rock.

chemical rocks; these rocks include gypsum and salt (halite) - formed mostly through water evaporation

There are also other type of specific sedimentary rocks, like for example the ones formed in hot springs. Most of the solid surface of our planet (very roughly 70%) is represented by sedimentary rocks - but if you start to go deep enough, they are replaced by igneous and metamorphic.

As I mentioned with the biochemical rocks, fossils can become rocks in time. You can actually have entire mountains made up from reefs, like you can see below.

Some common sedimentary rocks are:

This is just scratching the surface when it comes to rocks - you could spend a lifetime studying them and still be surprised. But I hope that for your general knowledge or if you want to impress some friends (or if you're considering starting geology), the information here was useful and interesting to you. Feel free to send any questions and comments my way and I'll do my best to answer them!
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The types of rock: igneous, metarmorphic and sedimentary

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It's the first thing you learn in a geology class - very briefly the three types of rocks are: Igneous; they form from the cooling of magma deep inside the earth. They often have large crystals (you can see then with the naked eye).