TYPES OF ROCKS

AND THEIR
CHARACTERISTICS
 Rock
A rock is a naturally formed, non-living
earth material. Rocks are made of
collections of mineral grains that are held
together in a firm, solid mass. The
different color and textures seen in rocks
are caused by the presence of different
minerals.
Three main categories/types of rocks

Igneous rock

Sedimentary rock

Metamorphic rock
 IGNEOUS
ROCK
These rocks are formed
when magma cools and
crystallizes or solidifies. It
can be formed above or
below Earth’s surface
area.
These rocks are formed from molten material as it becomes a solid. This can
happen in two (2) different ways:

Intrusive igneous rocks form when molten material

pushes itself into spaces and crystalizes slowly below the
Earth’s surface. Since they cool slowly it allows for the
formation of large crystals.

Examples of intrusive igneous rocks are granite,

pegmatite, gabbro and diorite.
 Extrusive igneous rocks form when molten material
erupts onto the Earth’s surface and cools quickly. Because
it cools quickly the crystals formed are small and some
cool so fast that they don’t really have any crystals, they’ll
look like glass. For example, rocks from a volcanic
eruption are extruded from the earth.

Examples of extrusive igneous rocks are basalt, pumice,

obsidian, rhyolite.
HOW IGNEOUS ROCKS ARE
FORMED?
Igneous rocks form when magma cools
at the surface of a volcano or while still
inside Earth’s crust. As the magma
cools, different crystals form at various
temperatures undergoing a process
called crystallization.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF IGNEOUS
ROCK
 Most igneous forms include more than one mineral deposit
 They can be either glassy or coarse
 These usually do not react with acids
 Has large crystal sizes visible to the naked eye
 It can be light (white, pink, tan, light brown, light gray) or dark
(black, very dark brown, very dark gray, dark green mixed with black)
in color.
 The igneous form of rocks does not include any fossil deposits
 SEDIMENTARY
ROCK
Sedimentary rock is formed by the accumulation
and compression of sediments over a long period
of time. The sediments can include small pieces of
minerals, small pieces of plants and other organic
materials. These sediments move towards bodies of
water like rivers, lakes and oceans and will
accumulate at the bottom. Over long periods of
time the bottom layers will turn into rocks.

Examples of sedimentary rocks are sandstone,

limestone, kaolinite (chalk), flint.
HOW SEDIMENTARY ROCKS ARE
FORMED?
Sedimentary rocks are formed from
deposits of pre-existing rocks or
pieces of once-living organism that
accumulate on the Earth’s surface. If
sediment is buried deeply, it becomes
compacted and cemented, forming
sedimentary rock.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
SEDIMENTARY
 Sedimentary ROCK
rocks contain fossils.
 Sedimentary rocks typically occur in layers.
 Sedimentary rocks are typically consisting of small pieces
of minerals, small pieces of plants and other organic
materials.
 Clasts are rounded and sorted because they have been
moved by water.
 Sedimentary rocks have ripple marks and mud cracks.
 METAMORPHIC
ROCKS
Metamorphic rocks are formed when there is a change
in the heat or pressure of their environment. Any rock,
including igneous and sedimentary rocks, can become
metamorphic rocks when the temperature or pressure
changes.
HOW METAMORPHIC ROCKS ARE
FORMED?
Metamorphic rocks form from heat and pressure
changing the original or parent rock into a
completely new rock.

Metamorphic rocks started out as some other type of

rock, but have been substantially changed from their
original igneous, sedimentary, or earlier
metamorphic form.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
METAMORPHIC ROCK
Metamorphic rocks can also contain minerals, crystal
structures, and some traces of fossils if pressure is not
applied too hard.
 Has ductile deformation
 They are crystalline and often have a “squashed” (foliated
or banded) texture.
 They react with acids.
 Metamorphic rocks often break easily along foliation
planes.