© Science Notes: Volume One 2007 Curriculum Topic: Structure of the Earth System One of the great things about the planet Earth is that it has been around for hundreds of millions of years and if you look closely you can touch that history with your own hands. Every time you kick a pebble down a sidewalk or skip a rock into a lake, you are touching pieces of history so old that they pre-date even human beings. Each rock that lies on the ground today is able to tell us a story about our planet. Not only is that story millions of years old, it’s a story that is still continuing today. Each family of rocks tell a different story about our planet. Sedimentary rock, for example, tells us about how ancient minerals and plant and animal life slowly became compacted under enormous pressure over hundreds of millions of years to form beds of hard stone, sometimes including fossils. Metamorphic rock tells us about the high temperatures and pressure far below the Earth’s crust and gives us beautiful substances like marble. Igneous rock shows us how violent and unstable phenomena like volcanoes and lava flows actually help to build new features of the Earth like mountains and islands. There are many opportunities for us to look deep into the past and see the very beginnings of our planet, and some of them are as close as the rocks and pebbles you find on your way to school. © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 Verse 1 Chorus Scientists have grouped rocks into three families (x2) Metamorphic, igneous, And sedimentary These families of rocks Are all really near They’re all found down in the lithosphere Scientists have grouped rocks into three families Metamorphic, igneous, And sedimentary Verse 2 Magma is melted rock found in the mantle down below (x2) Lava once was magma That came from volcanoes Verse 3 Dead plants and animals and bits of minerals and rocks (x2) Are compacted together To form sedimentary rock Verse 4 Sedimentary rock is found in layers known as beds (x2) That’s where we’ll find fossils Of plants and animals I said Verse 5 Metamorphic rock is formed from high pressure and high heat (x2) Rocks like slate and marble Are two examples you can meet © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 Scientists have grouped rocks into three families found in the Earth’s lithosphere: igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks. Igneous rock is formed when magma that flows beneath the Earth’s surface erupts or flows out of volcanoes in the form of lava, then hardens. Sedimentary rock is formed when dead plants and animals mixed with small bits of minerals and rocks are compressed together over millions of years by the processes known as compaction and cementation. Sedimentary rock is found in distinct layers called beds. Within these layers we can find fossils of plants and animals from the past. Rocks like slate and marble are metamorphic rocks. They are formed when rocks are put under extremely high amounts of heat and pressure from the Earth. Once again, this process takes millions of years. Through a variety of processes in the Earth, all rocks can be transformed from igneous, to sedimentary, to metamorphic rocks over millions of years. This overall process is known as the rock cycle. © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 Name:______________ _____ 10 Verse 1 Chorus Scientists have grouped rocks into three families Metamorphic, igneous, And sedimentary These families of rocks Are all really near They’re all found down in the _____________________ Scientists have grouped rocks into three families Metamorphic, igneous, And sedimentary Verse 2 Magma is melted rock found in the mantle down below Lava once was ____________________ That came from _____________________ Verse 3 Dead plants and _____________________ and bits of ____________________ and rocks Are compacted together To form __________________________ rock Verse 4 Sedimentary rock is found in __________________ known as beds That’s where we’ll find __________________ Of plants and animals I said Verse 5 Metamorphic rock is formed from high pressure and high _________________ Rocks like slate and ____________________ Are two examples you can meet © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 Name:______________ _____ 10 1 4 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 ACROSS DOWN 2 once magma reaches the surface and begins to flow it is called __________ 6 this type of rock is formed from high pressure and heat 7 an example of metamorphic rock 8 these rocks are volcanic in origin 9 layers of rock 1 not animal, not vegetable; inorganic solids with a crystal structure 2 contains the Earth's crust and mantle 3 magma bursts to the surface through this geological feature 4 rock that is found in layers known as beds 5 bones and skeletons of animals that lived long ago Formation and Types of Rock © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 _____ Name:_______________ 10 Date:________________ 1.) Which of the following is melted rock found beneath the Earth’s surface? A.) metamorphic rock B.) lava C.) magma D.) igneous rock 2.) Under what conditions is metamorphic rock formed? A.) melting lava B.) compaction of plants and animals C.) high pressure and high heat D.) hardened magma 3.) Where can fossils be found? A.) among dead plants and animals B.) in lava C.) in sedimentary rock layers D.) igneous rock 4.) Sedimentary rock is found in layers called: A.) cement B.) beds C.) lava flows D.) the lithosphere 5.) All three families of rocks are found in the Earth’s: A.) oceans B.) mantle C.) lithosphere D.) atmosphere © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 6.) Sedimentary rock is formed through a process called: A.) weathering B.) eruption C.) compaction D.) pressurizing 7.) Where can magma be found? A.) within sedimentary layers B.) in the mantle C.) outside volcanoes D.) on the earth 8.) Dead plants and animals help make up what type of rock? A.) hardened lava B.) metamorphic rock C.) igneous rock D.) sedimentary rock 9.) Which is an example of a metamorphic rock? A.) marble B.) sandstone C.) limestone D.) granite 10.) Rocks from all three families move through a cycle called: A.) compaction B.) cementation C.) the lava flow D.) the rock cycle © Science Notes: Volume One 2007 Name:__________________ Even though this song was originally written about families of rocks, you can change the lyrics to create a song about any topic at all. Just match the number of beats in each line and follow the rhyming pattern you hear in the song. It’s an easy way to write your own original songs! Chorus Rhyme # of Your Lyrics... Pattern Beats Line 1 A 5 Line 2 B 5 Line 3 B 10 Line 4 C 12 Line 5 D 7 Line 6 C 7 Verse Rhyme # of Your Lyrics... Pattern Beats Line 1 A 12 Line 2 A 12 Line 3 B 7 Line 4 A 7 © Science Notes: Volume One 2007