What Is a Sedimentary Rock? Have you ever been to the beach and nestled your toes in the sand?

Over thousands of years that sand might become part of a sedimentary rock! Sedimentary rocks make up about three-quarters of the rocks at the Earths surface. They form at the surface in environments such as beaches, rivers, the ocean, and anywhere that sand, mud, and other types of sediment collect. Sedimentary rocks preserve a record of the environments that existed when they formed. By looking at sedimentary rocks of different ages, scientists can figure out how climate and environments have changed through Earths history. Fossils of ancient living things are preserved in sedimentary rocks too. Many sedimentary rocks are made from the broken bits of other rocks. These are called clastic sedimentary rocks. The broken bits of rocks are called sediment. Sediment is the sand you find at the beach, the mud in a lake bottom, the pebbles in a river, and even the dust on furniture. The sediment may, in time, form a rock if the little pieces become cemented together. There are other types of sedimentary rocks whose particles do not come from broken rock fragments. Chemical sedimentary rocks are made of mineral crystals such as halite and gypsum formed by chemical processes. The sediment particles of organic sedimentary rocks are the remains of living things such as clamshells, plankton skeletons, dinosaur bones, and plants. Last modified June 11, 2009 by Jennifer Bergman. Source: http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/geology/sed_intro.html

Igneous Rocks Igneous rocks form when molten rock cools and becomes solid. Molten rock is called magma when it is below the Earths surface and lava when it is above. Igneous rocks are divided into two groups, based on where the rock forms. Igneous rocks that form below the Earths surface are called intrusive igneous rocks (or plutonic). They form when magma enters an underground chamber, cools very slowly, and forms rocks full of large crystals. Igneous rocks that form above the Earths surface are called extrusive igneous rocks. These rocks, also called volcanic rocks, form when lava cools quickly at or above the Earths surface.

Last modified June 17, 2003 by Lisa Gardiner.

Sedimentary rocks The earth's surface is constantly being eroded. This means that rocks are broken up into smaller pieces by weathering agents such as wind, water, and ice. These small pieces of rock turn into pebbles, gravel, sand, and clay. They tumble down rivers and streams. These pieces settle in a new place and begin to pile up and the sediments form flat layers. Over a long period of time, the pieces become pressed together and form solid rock called sedimentary rock. Most sedimentary rocks form under water. Most of the earth has been covered by water some time in the past. 70% of the earth is covered by water now. So sedimentary rocks are common all over the world. Sedimentary rocks are often rich in fossils. Sediments can harden into sedimentary rock in two ways. pressure-As layer after layer of sediments are deposited, the lower layers are pressed together tightly under the weight of the layers above. cementing-Some sediments are glued together by minerals dissolved in water. Some examples of sedimentary rocks are sandstone, limestone, conglomerate, and shale. Sandstone is formed from grains of sand pressed tightly together. Sandstones are very common rocks. They are formed from the sand on beaches, in riverbeds, and sand dunes. Sandstones are usually made of the mineral quartz. Limestone is formed from tiny pieces of shells of dead sea animals that have been cemented together. Conglomerate contains sand and rounded pebbles that have also been cemented together. Shale is formed from mud or clay that has been pressed together. Shale forms in quiet waters such as swamps and bogs. Sedimentary rocks are easy to identify because you can actually see the layers. Below is a summary of the major characteristics of sedimentary rocks. Classified by texture and composition Often contains fossils May react with acid Often has layers, flat or curved Usually composed of pieces cemented or pressed together Has great color variety Particle size may be the same or vary Usually has pores between pieces May have cross-bedding, mud cracks, worm burrows, raindrop impressions Here's a checklist of some common sedimentary rocks and their characteristics. Look for these same characteristics in the rocks you find, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a rockhound.

Some Common Sedimentary Rocks Name Sandstone Image Color Red or Gray Composition Sand grains cemented together

Limestone

White to Gray

Calcite and sometimes fossils

Shale

Dark Gray

Compacted mud

Conglomerate

Different Colors

Rounded cobbles and pebbles cemented together

This website was created for ThinkQuest, Junior Copyright March, 2000

Metamorpic Rocks

Heat and pressure can change many things. They can even change rocks. The name for rocks that has been changed is metamorphic (met uh MOR fik) rocks. Metamorphic comes from Greek words meaning "change" and "form". Metamorphic rocks form deep in the earth where high temperature, great pressure, and chemical reactions cause one type of rock to change into another type of rock. Metamorphic rocks begin to form at 12-16 kilometers beneath the earth's surface. They begin changing at temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius to 800 degrees Celsius. If you squeeze and heat a rock for a few million years, it can turn into a new kind of rock. Where does the heat come from? The heat comes from magma. Where does the pressure come from? The pressure comes from layers of rock piled on top of layers and layers of rock. The layers on the bottom get squeezed. The thicker the layers, the more pressure there is.

Some examples of how metamorphic rocks were changed:

Below is a summary of the major characteristics of metamorphic rocks. Classified by texture and composition Rarely has fossils May react with acid May have alternate bands of light and dark minerals May be composed of only one mineral, ex. marble & quartzite May have layers of visible crystals Usually made of mineral crystals of different sizes Rarely has pores or openings May have bent or curved foliation Here's a checklist of some common metamorphic rocks and their characteristics. Look for these same characteristics in the rocks you find, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a rockhound.

Some Common Metamorphic Rocks Name Gneiss Image Color Pink/Gray Texture Foliated

Marble

Light Colored

Unfoliated

Quartzite

Light Colored

Unfoliated

Slate

Dark Gray to Black

Foliated

Igneous Rocks The oldest type of all rocks is the igneous rock (IG nee us). The word "igneous" comes from a Greek word for fire. Deep inside the earth, the temperature is very high and the minerals there are in liquid form called magma. As the magma pushes towards the earth's surface, it starts to cool and turns into solid igneous rock. All igneous rocks do not cool the same way. That is why they do not look all the same. Some cool slowly, deep under the earth's surface. These are called intrusive igneous rocks. The slow cooling formed rocks with large crystals. Granite is an example of a rock that cooled slowly and has large crystals. Other rocks formed when the magma erupted from a volcano or reached the earth's surface through long cracks. Magma is called lava when it reaches the earth's surface. Lava when it reaches the earth's surface. Lava cools quickly and forms rocks with small crystals. They are called extrusive igneous rocks. Basalt is an example of this type of rock. Obsidian is an example of another extrusive igneous rock that cooled so fast that it has no crystals and looks like shiny, black glass. Below is a summary of the major characteristics of igneous rocks. Classified by texture and composition Normally contains no fossils Rarely reacts with acid Usually has no layering Usually made of two or more minerals May be light or dark colored Usually made of mineral crystals of different sizes Sometimes has openings or glass fibers May be fine-grained or glassy (extrusive)

Here's a checklist of some common igneous rocks and their characteristics. Look for these same characteristics in the rocks you find, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a rockhound.

Some Common Igneous Rocks Name Granite Image Color Pink/Gray Texture Intrusive

Gabbro

Dark Gray to Black

Intrusive

Rhyolite

Light Pink or Gray

Extrusive

Basalt

Dark Gray to Black

Extrusive

Obsidian

Usually Dark Colored

Extrusive

Scoria

Dark Colored

Extrusive

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002289/meta.html

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http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-clouds.htm

Sallie,M.S,Howard,B.O et all (2003). Investigating the Climate System: Clouds. Diakses daripada http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/62317main_ICS_Clouds.pdf Instructables (2012). Predicting the Weather with Clouds. Diakses pada 17/Febuari/2012 daripada http://www.instructables.com/id/Predicting-Weather-with-Clouds/