Rocks and Minerals (continued)

Hello, here are some more things that we had to research about rocks and minerals. Hope you enjoy them as much as you enjoyed the other ones!

• How are rocks made?
• Rocks are made of minerals or a mixture of minerals.
• What are the three types of rocks and how are they formed?
• Sedimentary rock - For millions of years, eroded pieces of earth are brought downstream and each time it adds they compress together, finally forming rock. Sandstone, Limestone, Shale, Conglomerate, Gypsum.
• Metamorphic rock - Used to be sedimentary or igneous, but under tons of heat and pressure, changed to metamorphic rock. Schist, Gneiss
• Igneous rock - Formed either under or above ground when magma/lava cools and hardens into rock. Granite, Scoria, Pumice, Obsidian

• What is the rock cycle?



The Rock Cycle













• A group of changes that happen in a pattern again and again with rock.
• How can you identify a mineral?
• It has to be solid, have a crystal structure, naturally occurring, inorganic process, fixed chemical composition.
• How are minerals created?
• Minerals are formed by natural processes. An example is when magma cools.
• Can rocks be minerals?
• I don't think so because they don't always have a crystalline structure or a fixed chemical composition, but if you look at the other side of the argument, rocks could be minerals because they are made from tiny fragments of mineral.
• What is the most precious mineral?

• I think diamond is one of the most precious minerals because even though there are a lot of them, people that mine diamonds have to pay a lot of money to get them, so they don't sell so many and the amount they sell is very expensive.
• Give three examples of minerals and rocks and interesting information about each.
• Quartz - Quartz is one of the most well-known minerals on earth. Quartz is also the most varied of all minerals, occurring in all different forms, habits, and colors. Some forms of Quartz, especially the gemstone forms, have their color enhanced.
• Diamond - Diamond is the toughest, the strongest mineral in the world. In 2004, astronomer Travis Metcalfe of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and colleagues discovered a diamond star that is 10 billion trillion trillion carats! You won't be able to sell a diamond ring for more than what you pay for it.
• Gold - Pure gold is very soft. Gold has been recycled ever since it was first discovered. Gold is perfect for use in coins and jewelry as it does not react with air or water like many other metals.
• Granite - Granite is found in abundance, all over the planet, but it is only restricted to Earth's crust. Being strong and durable, granite rock has been used for construction since several centuries. Granite, like most of the other natural stones, is radioactive indeed.
• Limestone - Limestone can recrystallize into marble. The city of Kingston in Ontario, Canada is called the "Limestone City" because so many buildings were built with limestone. Limestone is partially soluble, so it can erode to create many different landscapes.
• Sandstone - Sandstone is a sedimentary rock that can take on almost any color. Because of its hardness, sandstone is often used to make grindstone wheels. Sandstone formations begin with sand from the sea or desert, and solidify by pressure over time.

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