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Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS
Course: Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS > Unit 4
Lesson 1: The rock cycleThe rock cycle
Review your understanding of the rock cycle in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
Key points:
- The rock cycle describes how rocks on Earth form and change over time.
- When rocks are pushed deep below Earth’s surface, they can melt to form magma. Magma that reaches Earth’s surface through volcanic activity is called lava.
- Igneous rocks form when magma or lava cools and solidifies.
- Weathering breaks igneous and other types of rocks into smaller pieces called sediment. Erosion transports sediment from one place to another. Deposition drops sediment in a new location.
- Sedimentary rocks form when sediment is compacted and cemented. This process is called lithification.
- Metamorphic rocks form when existing rocks are exposed to intense heat and pressure. Metamorphic rocks can be formed from igneous, sedimentary, or even other metamorphic rocks.
Want to join the conversation?
- Is The Rock a rock??(37 votes)
- What type of rock is pummice(18 votes)
- Pumice is an igneous rock(22 votes)
- how did rocks get hard(14 votes)
- The chemical bonds that hold atoms together in these minerals are stronger in some than in others, and the atoms themselves determine which bonds are stronger than others. Stronger bonds make for stronger minerals and, thus, harder rocks.(18 votes)
- do fish get thirsty(9 votes)
- Saltwater fish must intentionally consume water to obtain enough into their systems, in addition to receiving water from osmosis. But, fish don't have to worry about becoming dehydrated because they can take in water via their skin and gills and live in water. Freshwater fish don't drink water because they have a greater blood-salt concentration than the water they are surrounded by, but seawater fish do so to prevent dehydration.
hopes it helps. :)(15 votes)
- Why go through so much trouble to study how old a rock is?(6 votes)
- It’s hard to answer the basic questions of geology without knowing the ages of rocks. People want to know how long life has existed on Earth and what the earliest lifeform was. We’ve answered those questions by dating rocks containing fossils. Life has existed at least as long as the oldest fossil. Wouldn’t you like to know when dinosaurs lived? We’ve answered that by dating the rocks that contain dinosaur fossils. We’ve determined the age of Earth by dating meteorites. We know when the moon formed by dating moon rocks. When did the Hawaiian Islands form? Which one of the islands is the oldest? Both questions were answered by dating rocks. We can also use our dating methods to answer questions about geologic hazards. When was the last eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano? How frequently has Yellowstone erupted? All of these questions have been answered through methods developed by geologists to determine the ages of rocks. They are powerful techniques that answer these questions and so many more.(9 votes)
- is sand sediment(6 votes)
- Sand is sediment. More specifically, sand is a size of sediment. Other common sediment sizes that you may have heard of are clay, silt, and gravel. Sand is larger than clay and silt, but smaller than gravel.(5 votes)
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⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠛⠿⠿⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⠿⠿⠿⠟⠛⠛⠋⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠛⠛⠻⠿⠿⠿⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⠾⠿⠛⠛⠋⠁please upvote(7 votes)- why do you use you're time to make this a masterpiece(1 vote)
- is it possible for a rock that used to be a mountain but became a rock years later turn back into a mountain?(6 votes)
- how Sedimentary rocks form into Igneous rocks(3 votes)
- If a sedimentary rock is subjected to intense heat it will melt. Once it rises up and cools down, it will form an igneous rock(5 votes)
- how do i stop my dog from flying to meet jfk in heaven(5 votes)