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Y6 - Unit 3 Summary Notes
Date: ……………….
3.1: Igneous rock
Layers of Earth:
Earth crust
Mantle (is made of molten magma)
Outer core
Inner core
Note that:
When volcano erupts magma move outside the volcano and change into lava.
Geologists:
They are scientists who study rocks.
Ex: Farouk Elbaz
How do the geologists classify rocks?
The geologist classify rocks according to how they formed.
Formation of rocks
Rocks Formed from Minerals Formed from Substances
Example of minerals: Example of substance:
Quartz, Mica & Feldspar Magnesium, Aluminum,
Quartz is made of silica &oxygen silica, iron and oxygen
Types of rocks
Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic
rocks rocks rocks
(crystalline) (made in layers ) (new crystals & thin
layers)
Igneous rocks
The word ‘igneous’ means fire.
Igneous rocks formed by cooling of magma or lava, this
process is called solidification.
Magma is hot, like a fire.
Magma is coming from the mantle, deep below the Earth’s
surface.
The most important characteristic of all igneous rocks is that
they are crystalline. Crystals are formed when the minerals
cool down
Igneous rocks have shiny crystals and spotted appearance,
and several colors.
Types of igneous rocks
Intrusive igneous rocks Extrusive igneous rocks
Formation Cooling (solidification) of Cooling (solidification) of lava
magma inside the Earth’s outside the Earth’s crust.
crust.
Time for It cools down more slowly It cools down more quickly
formation
Crystal Crystals are large enough Crystals are too small to see with
size the naked eyes.
Example Granite. Basalt (black rock)
3.2 Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are made from small pieces of other rocks stuck together called sediment.
Sedimentary rocks are formed by weathering, erosion and sedimentation.
Sediments are Very small pieces of rock
Sedimentary rocks form in layers.
Formation of Sedimentary Rocks
Steps of sedimentary socks formation
2- Erosion and 3- Deposition and
1- Weathering
Transportation Sedimentation
To wear down weathered rocks • When the water in a
A process where heat, ice, into sediments by rivers, ice or river reaches the sea
rain or plant roots break up wind or a lake, it flows
rocks slowly.
• High and low temperature • The broken-up rocks wear
cracks rocks and breaks up away or erode the sides and It drops or deposits the
the surface layer. bottom of river valley. sediments in the sea bed
• Rainwater dissolves some • All the sediments are or lake bed. This
rocks. carried or transported by process is called
• Plants break up the surface rivers. sedimentation
of rocks with their roots.
Remember that,
Sedimentary rocks are formed in this order weathering, erosion,
transportation, deposition and sedimentation.
The river uses the broken rocks to scrape the sides and bottom of its valley.
Types of Sedimentary rocks
Fossils
What are fossils?
• Fossils are the preserved (KEPT FOREVER) remains of
animals and plants which we find in sedimentary rocks.
• Fossil can only form if the animal or plant is buried quickly in a
place where there is very little air.
• This is why we only find fossils in sedimentary rocks which form in
water on the sea bed or a lake bed.
Steps of fossil formation
• 1- Animals or plants die near the sea then buried in sediments.
• 2- The soft parts of the animals rot away.
3- bones are replaced by the minerals
4- Fossils are formed between the layers of sedimentary rocks.
Examples of types of fossils
Mold fossil Cast fossil
-Mold is an impression or exact -A fossil where the whole
shape and size animal is preserved in minerals
-Imprint of the animal in the -Sometimes a mold fills with
sediments minerals that harden to a solid
3.3 Metamorphic rocks and the rock cycle
The word ‘metamorphosis’ means ‘change’.
Metamorphic rocks are formed by heat and pressure that
transform existing rocks
The rocks may be changed by heat OR pressure or both heat
and pressure.
Example:
Layers of sedimentary rocks buried beneath the Earth’s
surface.
Magma rises up from the mantle and forms an intrusive
igneous rock mass.
A huge mass of extremely hot liquid rock pushes solid rocks
aside. This causes all the surrounding rocks to be affected by
the heat and the pressure.
These rocks are changed into metamorphic rocks.
Metamorphic rock
Existing rock Changed by
heat With new crystals
• Minerals in the rock melt and then form new crystals.
Metamorphic rock
Existing rock Changed by
pressure With thin layers
• The pressure squeezes the rocks so much that the
new rock has lots of thin layers.
Metamorphic rock with
Existing rock Changed by
different minerals and
heat &pressure
lots of layers
Types of metamorphic rocks
Type of rock Granite Sandstone Limestone Shale
(intrusive igneous (sedimentary) (sedimentary) (sedimentary)
rock)
Metamorphic Gneiss Quartzite Marble Slate
rock
Sand grains melt When limestone When shale is put
When granite is
and make new is heated, All the under intense
heated all the
quartz crystals. minerals melt pressure it forms
minerals melt and
and form new thin layers.
make new crystals
crystals.
(bands of crystals)
Uses to make roads Sculptures Carve statues and Roof tiles and
gravestones and floor tiles
furniture.
Decorate public
buildings and
places of
worship.
Properties Very hard Crystals shine Beautiful, Hard and long-
and the rock is Extremely hard lasting.
much harder and very shiny.
than sandstone.
Color white, red, blue
or green
Rock cycle
This diagram is a model of what is happening in the rock cycle.
It is not showing scale or time. But it is showing possible orders of events in the cycle.
Magma is formed by melting of igneous or metamorphic rock.
Sediments are formed by weathering and erosion of igneous,
sedimentary or metamorphic rocks
Sedimentary rocks are formed by sedimentation of sediments.
Igneous rock is formed by solidification of magma
Metamorphic rock is formed by heat and pressure
3.4 Soil
What’s soil?
A layer of weathered (broken) rocks covering all the rocks on the earth
surface.
How Soil is formed?
Soil is formed by weathering which breaks up rock by heating and
cooling, water, rain, plant roots and ice.
Soil forms fairly quickly compared to rocks, it still takes several
hundred years to make 1 cm of soil.
IMPORTANCE OF SOIL
1. The roots hold the plant to grow bigger in the soil
2. The plant takes up water through the soil
3. The plant takes up minerals through the soil
What does soil consist of? (Soil composition)
A mixture of broken up rocks, water ,air and organic matter
Soil is classified according to:
Amount of sand, amount of clay and organic matter.
It can also be classified according to Texture, Water, Air and color.
Types of soil
Loam
Sandy soil (yellowish) Clay soil (balanced soil)
(dark)
ORGANIC MATTER:
living things or things which were alive
Ex: worms, root and plant residues inside the soil formed over many years.
The organic matter of plants is called humus
Organic matter is important as It keeps nutrients and water in the soil (hold water).
Changing the composition of soil
Soil is composed of a mixture of broken up rocks, water, air and organic matter
People choose to grow certain plants in different types of soil.
Loam is the best type of soil for growing plants because of its composition (organic matter).
If the plant needs any special mineral we can add it to the soil like lime.
Ex: If the plant needs a lot of lime in the soil, Gardener adds lime to the soil.
How does soil in a pot change over time?
• It becomes dried out and infertile as all the nutrients are absorbed by the plant.
What is the main difference between compost and artificial fertilizers? (explain compost is important)
• Artificial fertilizers provide the same nutrients as organic matter.
• But they do not improve the texture of the soil like compost does.
Compost
Damaging soil
For plants to grow well, it is important to look after the soil by maintaining the
composition of the soil.
Sometimes farmers or gardeners do not look after the soil and the composition
changes.