By: Alex Geiger, Hannah Moon, and Chris Bausch
The rock cycle is a model of how rocks form, break down, and reform into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
The three different way a rock can form are Compaction is when sediments are compacted together into a sedimentary rock Cooling is when magma cools to form igneous rock Melting is when rock is melted
The three rock types are: Sedimentary rocks are compacted sediments that are formed when deposited sediments harden into layers of rock. Igneous rocks are cooled magma that is made from intense heat and pressure deep in the earth. Metamorphic rocks are buried rocks that form together by heat and pressure deep in the earth
Sediments are pieces of broken down rocks or minerals. It is fragments of rocks that are deposited which is when sediment moves from one place to another by natural occurrences. Deposition and sediment are related because it moves the pieces of rock around.
The difference between weathering and erosion is that weathering is physically breaking apart rocks, and erosion is moving the broken down rocks by gravity. Weathering is the mechanical and chemical processes that cause rock to break down Chemical weathering is changing some of the minerals within a rock Physical weathering is breaking the rock apart
Erosion is the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by water, glaciers, wind, and waves The main agent of erosion is water Gravity, the force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall towards the center of the earth, is what makes eroded material slide downhill. Scientists believe that erosion was the main component in forming the Grand Canyon. Sheet erosion is when a whole layer of rock is washed away.
Fossils are remains of animals and plants that form from compaction. The rock that has fossils in it is sedimentary. If we found a shark tooth on the top of a hill we could conclude that the hill was once an ocean
The Geological time scale is the relative age of the geological periods of our history. It is the method that divides the earths natural history into manageable parts.
The Law of Superposition states that youngest layer of rock is on top and the oldest layer is on the bottom. Which means if there were two layers the youngest would be on top and the oldest below.