Cabuyao Institute of Technology: Core 4 - Earth Science 3 Types of Rocks

CABUYAO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao, Laguna

Senior High School
CORE 4 – EARTH SCIENCE
3 TYPES OF ROCKS
There are 3 types of rocks found on Earth:
1) Igneous
2) Sedimentary
3) Metamorphic
 Knowing the differences between these 3 types of rocks allows us to learn about Earth’s
past.
a) Igneous Rocks
a.1 Igneous Rocks - Formation
 Igneous Rocks are formed by melting, cooling, and crystallization of other rocks.
 Igneous rocks form as a result of volcanic activity, hot spots, and melting that
occurs in the mantle.
 Igneous rocks are common along plate boundaries or mantle hot spots
 Structures and formations seen in igneous rocks include:

 Hexagonal columnar joints
 Pahoehoe lava flows
 Dikes, sills, and batholiths (plutons)
 Pillow basalts
 Volcanoes
a.2 Igneous Rocks – Texture
 Igneous rocks are classified using their texture in the following ways:
 Glassy
 Aphanitic (no visible crystals)
 Phaneritic (visible crystals)
 Porphyritic (Some visible and some not visible crystals)
 Crystal size is used to classify igneous rocks.

 Crystals form as the rock cools, and the crystal size can tell us a lot about its
cooling history:
 The larger the crystals, the slower it cooled.
 Glassy igneous rocks have no crystal structure, and probably formed by very
rapid cooling (such as on the surface of a lava, or when a lava enters the water.)
 Aphanitic rocks have no visible crystals, and probably formed by fast cooling
above ground.
 Phaneritic rocks have visible crystals, and probably formed by slow cooling below
ground.
 Porphyritic rocks have both visible and nonvisible crystals, and probably formed
by two different cooling events.
a.3 Igneous Rocks – Classification
 Dark igneous rocks are formed from basaltic or mafic magma. (Mafic because it
contains a lot of magnesium and iron).
 The magma that forms these rocks is usually very hot (around 1000°C) and
viscous (about the same viscosity as ketchup.)
 Light colored igneous rocks are formed from silicic (high silica content) or felsic
magmas.
 The magmas that form these rocks is usually more cool, (lower than 850°C), and
more viscous (about the viscosity of peanut butter.)
a.4 Igneous Rocks – Examples
 The most common types of igneous rocks include:
 Rhyolite
 Andesite
 Basalt
 Granite
 Diorite
 Gabbro
b) Sedimentary Rocks
b.1 Sedimentary Rocks - Formation
 Sedimentary rocks are formed by weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction,

and cementation of other rocks.
 Sedimentary rocks form in areas where water, wind, or gravity deposit
sediments.
 Sedimentary rocks are likely to form in areas such as:
 Deltas
 Beaches
 Rivers
 Glaciers
 Sand dunes
 Shallow seas
 Deep oceans
 Structures and formations seen in sedimentary rocks include:

 Stratification
 Cross bedding
 Graded bedding
 Ripple marks
 Mud cracks
 Fossils
b.2 Sedimentary Rocks - Classification
 Sedimentary rocks are classified into two groups:

 Clastic rocks
 Chemically formed rocks
 Sedimentary rocks are Clastic if they are made of pieces of other rocks that have
been weathered and eroded.
 Clastic rocks are grouped based on the size of grain that they are made from.
 Very small particles make up mudrock.

 Medium sized particles make up sandstone.
 Large particles make up conglomerates.
 Sedimentary rocks that form from chemical processes are called biochemical
rocks (formed from living things) or Chemical precipitates (formed from lakes or
shallow seas.)
b.3 Sedimentary Rocks – Examples
 Some of the most common types of sedimentary rocks include:

 Conglomerate
 Sandstone
 Shale
 Limestone
 Gypsum
 Oolites
 Chert (including black flint and red jasper)
c) Metamorphic Rocks
c.1 Metamorphic Rocks – Formation
 Metamorphic rocks are formed by heat and pressure changing one type of rock
into another type of rock.
 Metamorphic rocks form near lava intrusions, at plate subduction zones, and in
deep mountain roots.
 Lava intrusions can provide heat that causes metamorphic rocks to form. These
small areas of metamorphic rock form from contact metamorphosis.
 Rocks that metamorphose because of increasing heat and pressure found at
plate subduction zones and in deep mountain roots form large areas of
metamorphic rock through regional metamorphosis.
 Structures and formations seen in metamorphic rocks include:

 Folding
 Plastic deformation
 Stretching
 Alternating dark and light layers (gneissic foliation)
c.2 Metamorphic Rocks – Classification
 Metamorphic rocks are classified into 2 major groups:

 Foliated
 Nonfoliated
 Foliated rocks form when differential pressure causes minerals to form in layers.
 These rocks will have stripes or planes that they will break easily along.
 These “stripes” don’t usually line up with the original bedding planes in
sedimentary rocks.
 Nonfoliated metamorphic rocks formed in areas where the pressure from all
sides was equal, so there is no “linear” quality to the rocks.
c.3 Metamorphic Rocks – Examples
 Some common types of metamorphic rock include:

 Slate
 Schist
 Gneiss
 Amphibolite
 Marble
 Quartzite
 Metaconglomerate
___________________________________________________________________________________________
CORE 4 – EARTH SCIENCE
TF (10:30am – 12:30pm); Gym 5
UZZIEL G. DE LOYOLA, MSP
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CABUYAO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao, Laguna

CORE 4 – EARTH SCIENCE

There are 3 types of rocks found on Earth:

a.1 Igneous Rocks - Formation

 Structures and formations seen in igneous rocks include:

 Crystal size is used to classify igneous rocks.

a.4 Igneous Rocks – Examples

 The most common types of igneous rocks include:

b.1 Sedimentary Rocks - Formation

 Sedimentary rocks are formed by weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction,

 Structures and formations seen in sedimentary rocks include:

 Sedimentary rocks are classified into two groups:

 Very small particles make up mudrock.

 Some of the most common types of sedimentary rocks include:

c.1 Metamorphic Rocks – Formation

 Structures and formations seen in metamorphic rocks include:

 Metamorphic rocks are classified into 2 major groups:

 Some common types of metamorphic rock include:

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