Name ______Date ______

Sedimentary Rocks By Brandi Waters

Caption: This boulder is made of many rocks stuck together.

Have you ever looked closely at rocks? They come in many colors,shapes, and sizes. Some rocks are very hard. Some are easily broken. Some rocks are smooth. Others are very rough. There are many different kinds of rocks, but all rocks can be placed in one of three groups. Rocks are put into groups based on how they were formed.

There are only three ways that rocks can be made. One kind of rock is sedimentary rock. It is formed very slowly. It is made from tiny pieces of older rock, sand, minerals, and fossils, called sediments. Sediments are laid on the ground by water, wind, and ice. They are on the bottoms of oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. They are on beaches and on mountains. Over many years, sediments are layered on top of each other. Chemicals or minerals in the sediment form a glue. The sediments stick together. Sedimentary rock is formed.

1. All rocks can be placed in one of three groups based on ______.

______

______

______2. Sedimentary rock is formed ______.

A. from large rocksB. from water, wind, and ice

C. very slowlyD. all of the above

______3. Tiny pieces of ______are sediments.

A. mineralsB. fossils

C. rockD. all of the above

______4. Sedimentary rock is formed ______.

A. at or near the surface of the Earth

B. deep below the surface of the Earth

C. both A and B

Name ______/ Date ______
Igneous Rocks By Brandi Waters

1Caption: granite, an igneous rock
2All rocks can be put into one of three groups. The groups are based on how the rock was formed. Some rocks are formed slowly near the surface of the Earth. Other rocks are formed deep underground by extreme heat and pressure. One kind of rock is formed when particles of rock, minerals, or crystals get so hot that they melt. The rock that is formed when this melted rock cools is called igneous rock. The Earth's core is very hot. It is so hot that it can melt rock. Melted rock under the ground is called magma. There are pools of magma deep under the surface of the Earth. Magma always rises up. It moves towards the Earth's surface. Sometimes it cools before it reaches the surface. It forms igneous rock. The rock stays underground. Sometimes magma will erupt onto the Earth's surface through a volcano, then it is called lava. Lava cools very quickly when it reaches the Earth's surface. Igneous rock is formed.

1. / Which of these is not one of the three groups of rocks?
Rock that is formed quickly when salts, crystals, and water mix
Rock that is formed slowly near the surface of the Earth
Rock that is formed deep underground by extreme heat and pressure
Rock that is formed when melted rock, minerals, and crystals cool
/ 2. / Igneous rock is formed ______.




3. / Melted rock under the ground is called ______.
Magma
Lava
Granite
A volcano
/ 4. / Melted rock is formed deep underground and always ______.
Cools before it reaches the Earth's surface
Forms crystals
Rises up toward the Earth's surface
Erupts through a volcano
5. / Magma forms ______when it cools.



/
Name ______
Metamorphic Rocks
By Brandi Waters

1Rocks are everywhere. They come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. There are many different kinds of rocks, but they can all be put into one of three groups. Each group is based on how the rock was made. There are only three ways that rocks can form. One group of rocks is metamorphic rocks. They are formed by heat and pressure, and lots of it! This can only happen deep inside the Earth. Metamorphic rocks are made when rock deep inside the Earth gets so hot and is under so much pressure that it becomes a different rock. Rocks may be baked, folded, or squeezed to form a new rock. The rocks started out deep underground. As the Earth has changed over many years, these rocks have moved and some have been brought up to the surface.

1. / There are ______different groups that all rocks
can be placed in.
Five
Three
Four
Two
/ 2. / Rocks are placed into groups based on ______.
How strong they are
Whether it is found underground or on the Earth's surface
How the rock was made
How they have changed over many years
3. / Metamorphic rocks are made when ______.


/ 4. / Metamorphic rocks can be formed when rock is ______.
Baked
Folded
Squeezed
All of the above
5. / Where are metamorphic rocks formed?


/

Name ______Date ______

Three Kinds of Rocks By Cindy Grigg

Rocks can be put into three main groups, depending on how the rocks formed. Igneous rocks are rocks formed from fire. That is how they got their name. "Igneous" comes from the Latin word "ignis," which means fire.

Igneous rocks start out as melted rock called magma deep inside the Earth. When magma erupts onto Earth's surface, it is called lava. The rocks that form when lava cools are igneous rocks. Obsidian, basalt, and granite are igneous rocks. Granite is used as a building material. It is often used for the outside of buildings and for statues. It can be used for kitchen countertops.

Sedimentary rocks are another kind of rock. They are made of sediments - tiny bits of minerals, rocks, and seashells. Rocks on Earth's surface are constantly being weathered. They break down into these smaller sediments. Over time, layers of sediments are lithified - they are made into new rocks. Sandstone and limestone are two common sedimentary rocks.

The third type of rock is metamorphic. The name comes from two Greek words. "Meta" and "morph" which means "change of form." Metamorphic rocks start out as one of the other two kinds of rock. They change form or go through a metamorphosis. Igneous rocks inside the Earth are changed by heat and pressure. Igneous granite changes into a metamorphic rock called gneiss (say "nice"). Shale and limestone are sedimentary rocks that change into slate and marble.

Rocks are always changing. We call this process the rock cycle. Rocks on the surface (all three kinds) weather into smaller bits. These bits are pressed and cemented together to form large sedimentary rocks. Melted rock from deep inside Earth erupts onto the surface, forming new igneous rocks. And rocks inside the Earth are changed by heat and pressure, forming metamorphic rocks. The rock cycle recycles Earth materials, forming new rocks from older ones.

1. Rocks are put into how many groups?

______

______2. Rocks are organized into groups based on what quality?

A. hardnessB. colorC. how they were formedD. age

______3. Slate and marble are ______.

A. sedimentary rockB. igneous rockC. metamorphic rock

______4. What is another word that probably comes from the same Latin word as igneous?

A. ignite (to burst into flames)B. ignorance (lack of knowledge)

______5. Sedimentary rocks may contain pieces of ______.

A. sedimentary rockB. metamorphic rockC. igneous rockD. all of the above

______6. New rocks are made from old rocks.A. trueB. false