The three types of rocks are very closely related:
• Igneous rocks are attacked by erosion and weathering to form sediments
• Crustal movements can cause deep rocks to reach high temperatures and to melt back into magma
• Igneous and sedimentary rocks exposed to intense heat and pressure can become metamorphic
Rock is defined as a naturally occurring solid aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids with variable chemical composition and external form.
For example, the common rock granite is a combination of the quartz, feldspar and biotite minerals. The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rocks.
BASALT
GRANITE
Rocks have been used by mankind throughout history. From the Stone Age, rocks have been used for tools. The minerals and metals found in rocks have been essential to human civilization
Three major groups of rocks are defined:
•Igneous
•Sedimentary
•Metamorphic
The scientific study of rocks is called petrology, which is an
essential component of geology.
