{"id":243,"date":"2017-10-01T17:18:37","date_gmt":"2017-10-01T21:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/physicalgeologyh5p\/chapter\/6-1-what-is-a-rock\/"},"modified":"2021-08-23T14:11:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T18:11:13","slug":"6-1-what-is-a-rock","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/physicalgeologyh5p\/chapter\/6-1-what-is-a-rock\/","title":{"raw":"6.1 What Is A Rock?","rendered":"6.1 What Is A Rock?"},"content":{"raw":"A rock<\/strong> is a solid mass of geological materials. Geological materials include individual mineral crystals, inorganic non-mineral solids like glass, pieces broken from other rocks, and even fossils. The geological materials in rocks may be inorganic, but they can also include organic materials such as the partially decomposed plant matter preserved in coal. A rock can be composed of only one type of geological material or mineral, but many are composed of several types (Figure 6.2).\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1615\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"650\"]\"Image<\/a> Figure 6.2<\/strong> Rocks versus minerals. Rocks in the image are made up of crystals of one or more minerals. Source: Karla Panchuk (2021), CC BY-NC-SA. Photographs by R. Weller\/ Cochise College and James St. John. Click for attributions.<\/a>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>Concept Check: Rock or Mineral?<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"165\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Three Main Types of Rock<\/h1>\r\nRocks are grouped into three main categories based on how they form. Igneous rocks<\/strong> form when melted rock cools and solidifies. Sedimentary rocks<\/strong> form when fragments of other rocks are buried, compressed, and cemented together; or when minerals precipitate from solution, either directly or with the help of an organism. Metamorphic rocks<\/strong> form when heat and pressure alter a pre-existing rock. Although temperatures can be very high, metamorphism does not involve melting of the rock.\r\n\r\n \r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>Do You Know Your Rock Types?<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"166\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n ","rendered":"

A rock<\/strong> is a solid mass of geological materials. Geological materials include individual mineral crystals, inorganic non-mineral solids like glass, pieces broken from other rocks, and even fossils. The geological materials in rocks may be inorganic, but they can also include organic materials such as the partially decomposed plant matter preserved in coal. A rock can be composed of only one type of geological material or mineral, but many are composed of several types (Figure 6.2).<\/p>\n

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\"Image<\/a>
Figure 6.2<\/strong> Rocks versus minerals. Rocks in the image are made up of crystals of one or more minerals. Source: Karla Panchuk (2021), CC BY-NC-SA. Photographs by R. Weller\/ Cochise College and James St. John. Click for attributions.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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<\/a>Concept Check: Rock or Mineral?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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