Science: Rocks Minerals and the Rock Cycle Worksheet

Question 1

What is a mineral? Give two traits that all minerals have.

Accepted Answer

A mineral is a naturally occurring, nonliving solid found in Earth. All minerals have a definite chemical makeup and a crystal structure.

Question 2

How is a rock different from a mineral?

Accepted Answer

A rock is made of one or more minerals or other natural materials, while a mineral is a single natural substance with specific properties.

Question 3

Name the three main types of rocks.

Accepted Answer

The three main types of rocks are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

Question 4

A rock forms when melted rock cools and hardens. What type of rock is it?

Accepted Answer

It is an igneous rock because igneous rocks form when melted rock cools and hardens.

Question 5

A rock is made from layers of sand, mud, and tiny pieces of shell pressed together over time. What type of rock is it?

Accepted Answer

It is a sedimentary rock because sedimentary rocks form from sediments that are pressed and cemented together.

Question 6

A rock changes because of heat and pressure deep underground, but it does not melt. What type of rock does it become?

Accepted Answer

It becomes a metamorphic rock because metamorphic rocks form when existing rocks change under heat and pressure without melting.

Question 7

What is magma, and where is it usually found?

Accepted Answer

Magma is melted rock found below Earth's surface. It is usually found underground where temperatures are very high.

Question 8

What is lava, and how is it different from magma?

Accepted Answer

Lava is melted rock that has reached Earth's surface. Magma is below the surface, and lava is on the surface.

Question 9

Explain how weathering helps start changes in the rock cycle.

Accepted Answer

Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces can become sediment and later form sedimentary rock.

Question 10

What does erosion do to rock particles and sediment?

Accepted Answer

Erosion moves rock particles and sediment from one place to another by wind, water, ice, or gravity.

Question 11

Why do some sedimentary rocks show layers?

Accepted Answer

Some sedimentary rocks show layers because sediments are dropped over time in different amounts and materials, building up one layer on top of another.

Question 12

How can an igneous rock become a sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

An igneous rock can be broken down by weathering and erosion into sediment. Then the sediment can be compacted and cemented to form a sedimentary rock.

Question 13

How can a sedimentary rock become a metamorphic rock?

Accepted Answer

A sedimentary rock can become a metamorphic rock when it is buried deep underground and changed by heat and pressure.

Question 14

A student says the rock cycle always follows one path in the same order. Is that correct? Explain.

Accepted Answer

That is not correct. Rocks can change in different ways, so the rock cycle has many possible paths depending on heat, pressure, melting, cooling, weathering, and erosion.

Question 15

Why is the rock cycle called a cycle?

Accepted Answer

It is called a cycle because rocks can change from one type to another again and again over long periods of time.

Science: Rocks Minerals and the Rock Cycle

Science: Rocks Minerals and the Rock Cycle

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