The Rock Cycle Flashcards

Grade 7 · Science · Flashcards

Essential vocabulary for the rock cycle, rock types, and Earth surface processes.

Flashcards

Rock cycle: The ongoing process through which rocks change from one type to another via heat, pressure, weathering, and melting.
Igneous rock: Rock formed from cooled and solidified magma or lava.
Sedimentary rock: Rock formed from compacted and cemented layers of sediment; often contains fossils.
Metamorphic rock: Rock transformed by heat and pressure (without melting) from a previous rock type.
Magma: Molten rock beneath Earth's surface.
Lava: Magma that has erupted onto Earth's surface.
Intrusive igneous rock: Igneous rock that cooled slowly underground, producing large crystals (e.g., granite).
Extrusive igneous rock: Igneous rock that cooled quickly at or near the surface, producing small crystals (e.g., basalt, obsidian).
Weathering: The breakdown of rocks into smaller particles by physical or chemical processes.
Erosion: The transport of weathered rock fragments by water, wind, ice, or gravity.
Deposition: The settling or dropping of transported sediment in a new location.
Sediment: Loose fragments of rock or organic material that can accumulate and form sedimentary rock.
Compaction: The squeezing of sediment layers by the weight of overlying material.
Cementation: Minerals deposited by water fill gaps between sediment grains, binding them into rock.
Fossil: Preserved remains or trace of an ancient organism; most commonly found in sedimentary rock.