Transcript The Rock Cycle

The Rock Cycle
*You will distinguish a rock from a mineral
* Describe the rock cycle and some
changes that a rock could undergo
• To show how rocks change through time,
scientists have created a model called the rock
cycle
• Igneous
• Metamorphic
• Sedimentary
Weathering & Erosion
• Weathering is when pieces of rock are eroded
and carried away by wind, water or ice
Wind Erosion
Water Erosion
Wind Erosion
Glacial Erosion
Glaciers
Chemical Element of the Rock
• They are not lost or destroyed• They have just been broken down and moved
somewhere else
• We call this CONSERVATION OF MATTER
(matter cannot be created nor destroyed)
THE ROCK CYLE DOES NOT CREATE OR DESTROY
NEW ROCKS! The elements are just
redistributed in other forms
The law of conservation of matter
Layering of Rock
• James Hutton, from Scotland, recognized that
rocks have a pattern of horizontal layering
• But some of the rocks are tilted and partly
eroded
• Generally the youngest layer of rock is on topbut not always. Earth is constantly moving and
changing
How is a rock different from a mineral?
• Minerals are naturally occuring crystalline
solids with definite chemical compositions.
• Rocks are most often combinations of
mixtures of more than one mineral or other
natural materials put together.