The Forming Of Rocks And Mineral’s Created by Jennifer Taveras

What Are Rocks And Minerals Rock is our world. The planet Earth is, essentially, just one big interesting rock, sometimes called "the third rock from the sun." The multi-faceted rock we live on supports life in many ways. The deep oceans, the vast deserts, and the high mountains, are just a few of the ways rock emerges and supports life.

Types Of Rock’s Sedimentary Sedimentary rocks are formed from particles of sand, shells, pebbles, and other fragments of material. Together, all these particles are called sediment. Gradually, the sediment accumulates in layers and over a long period of time hardens into rock. Generally, sedimentary rock is fairly soft and may break apart or crumble easily.

How Many Types Of Rocks Are There This question has both a simple and a complicated answer. There are three basic types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Within each of these groups, however, there are hundreds of subdivisions based on the types and amounts of minerals the rock contains and/or the rock’s texture. These three basic rock classes are defined by how the rock formed. Igneous rocks such as granite and basalt form when molten rock cools inside the earth or during volcanic eruptions, respectively. Sedimentary rocks are the product of physical and chemical processes at the earth’s surface that cause the breakdown of other rocks into small pieces known as sediments. The small pieces of rock then get “glued” together to form “clastic” sedimentary rocks, such as sandstone and shale. Limestone and gypsum are two examples of “chemical” sedimentary rocks that form as a result of chemical reactions in water. Metamorphic rocks are igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been changed because of exposure to high temperatures and/or pressures. When rocks are heated or squeezed, the original minerals in the rock may change into other minerals or reorient themselves, altering the rock’s chemical composition and texture. Common examples are marble (metamorphosed limestone) and slate (metamorphosed shale). Most of the rocks we see on the earth’s surface are sedimentary. Igneous rocks are most common inside the earth. Metamorphic rocks are found in mountains and other places where forces due to movements of the earth’s plates cause rocks to deform, as well as inside the earth, where rocks are subjected to pressure from the overlying rocks and heat from both radioactive decay and the earth’s core.

What Is The Different About Rocks And Minerals? A mineral is a naturally-occurring inorganic (there are some exceptions to this) crystalline solid (though mercury is regarded as a mineral) with a specific chemical composition and a characteristic internal regular geometric arrangement of atoms, sometimes expressed as natural crystal faces. A rock is an aggregate of one (such as quartzite) or more (such as granite) mineral particles formed through either crystallisation of molten magma (igneous rocks), settling of particles (sedimentary rocks), or reheating and pressure applied to pre-existing rocks (metamorphic rocks), with no set chemical composition or atomic structure. Rocks are minerals but not all minerals are rocks.

The Forming Of And Minerals A rock is defined as an aggregate of mineral grains, which means that rocks are a bunch of mineral grains all stuck together. The mineral grains may be large enough to be seen with the naked eye (phaneritic) or microscopic (aphanitic).   The three types of rocks are igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks form when molten rock, or magma, cools and hardens. Sedimentary rocks result from erosion of any rock type, followed by depositing the resulting sediment into a natural basin, and finally cementing the sediment into stone. Metamorphic rocks form when any rock is subjected to great heat and pressure, but not enough heat to melt the rock.

What Are Minerals The majority of metals, chemicals and industrial products that are now considered essential to modern life come from minerals. Farming and forestry for instance depend upon the soil, which is heavy in minerals. The most visible examples of minerals are stones and rocks. With notable exception of mercury.

How Many Types Of Minerals Are There At present there are nearly 3000 different types of named minerals. Their number is always increasing - in fact, 30 more new minerals are discovered every year.

What Are Rocks And Minerals For? you'll find in Quartz Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. It is made up of silicon dioxide (SiO2), otherwise known as silica. White sand is primarily made from quartz. Click here to find out more. Plagioclase feldspar Plagioclase is a member of the feldspar mineral family. Plagioclase feldspars are yet another silicate that contains considerable sodium or calcium. Feldspar crystals are stubby prisms, generally white to gray and a glassy luster. This variety of plagioclase, called albite, is rich in sodium.

Sources http://www.rocksandminerals.org http://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/permnature4_exhib.htm http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=buIok80satoC&dq=rocks+and+minerals&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ECbHgQLjVq&sig=68GzmiqiDEPln8BSvNYk0oQ0xOE&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/mysteries.html http://dnr.state.il.us/mines/education/schoolday.pdf