Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks form from small pieces of rocks, just like pebbles, called sediments. Sediments will tumble down a hill into a lake, ocean or river and start to compress together from the pressure in the water. In this section you will learn all about Sedimentary rocks and different types of formation.
Compaction
When sediments are pushed and squeezed together they are being compacted together. Think of a garbage can and how when you compact the garbage, it becomes squished together to become one big rock. The entire process of sedimentary formation is called compaction. An example of a compacted rock is Sandstone.
Cementation
When sediments fall into water they sometimes form another way. Because of the abundance of dissolved minerals in the water, the sediments are able to be glued together by minerals. This type of sedimentary formation is called cementation. An example of a cemented sedimentary rock is coal
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic rocks are rocks that change over time deep within the earth overtime. Heat from the inner core and pressure from the rocks above will slowly cause the rock to change. A metamorphic before the change is called a parent rock. In this section you will learn all about metamorphic rocks and different types of metamorphic rocks.
Foliated Rocks
Foliation occurs when a rock changes into a metamorphic rock but at the same time gains layers. Gneiss is an example of a foliated metamorphic rock. It has bands circling around allowing it to have layers.
Non-Foliated Rocks
Non foliated rocks are created when a rock changes into a metamorphic rock but at the same time does not gain any layers. This type of rock is just a plain old metamorphic rock without layers to it. An example is Amphibolite.