Question

Rock Transformation Standards Review
Part 1: Vocabulary Directions: Match each term to its correct definition.

_____ Magma
_____ Sediment
_____ Igneous Rock
_____ Metamorphic Rock
_____ Weathering
_____ Erosion
_____ Plate Tectonics
_____ Convergent Boundary
A. Rock formed from cooling molten material
B. Breaking down of rock into smaller pieces
C. Movement of Earth’s large plates
D. Rock changed by heat and pressure
E. Loose particles like sand, dirt, and rock
F. Melted rock beneath Earth’s surface
G. Movement of sediment from one place to another
H. Plates move toward each other


Part 2: Rock Cycle Understanding
Describe how magma becomes igneous rock.

What must happen to sediment to become sedimentary rock?

Explain how heat and pressure change rock.

Part 3: Application
Directions: Choose the best answer.
A scientist finds a rock with layers and small fossils. What type of rock is it?
A. Igneous
B. Metamorphic
C. Sedimentary
D. Magma
Which process MOST likely forms sediment?
A. Cooling
B. Weathering
C. Melting
D. Pressure
What provides the energy needed for rock transformation?
A. Wind only
B. Water only
C. Heat and pressure
D. Gravity only
A rock is exposed to intense heat but does not melt. What will it become?
A. Igneous rock
B. Sediment
C. Metamorphic rock
D. Magma

Part 4: In-Depth Analysis (Mastery-Advanced)
Define the rock cycle in your own words:




List the three main types of rocks:

________________
________________
________________

Match the rock type with its formation process:

Rock Type
Formation Process
Igneous
__________________________________
Sedimentary
_________________________________
Metamorphic
_________________________________


Why is the rock cycle considered a continuous process?



What are some geoscience processes? (Forces that wear down or build up Earth’s surface)



What powers the rock cycle?



Does Earths surface change gradually or rapidly?

Answer 1

Part 1 — Vocabulary (term then letter)

Magma — F
Sediment — E
Igneous Rock — A
Metamorphic Rock — D
Weathering — B
Erosion — G
Plate Tectonics — C
Convergent Boundary — H

Part 2 — Rock Cycle Understanding

Describe how magma becomes igneous rock.
- Magma cools and solidifies (crystallizes). If it cools beneath Earth’s surface it forms coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock; if it erupts as lava and cools at the surface it forms fine-grained extrusive igneous rock.

What must happen to sediment to become sedimentary rock?
- Sediment must be deposited, buried, compacted, and cemented (lithification) to form sedimentary rock.

Explain how heat and pressure change rock.
- Heat and pressure cause metamorphism: minerals recrystallize and textures change without melting, producing new mineral assemblages and structures (e.g., foliation).

Part 3 — Application (best answers)

A scientist finds a rock with layers and small fossils. What type of rock is it?
C. Sedimentary

Which process MOST likely forms sediment?
B. Weathering

What provides the energy needed for rock transformation?
C. Heat and pressure

A rock is exposed to intense heat but does not melt. What will it become?
C. Metamorphic rock

Part 4 — In-Depth Analysis

Define the rock cycle in your own words:
- The rock cycle is the continuous set of natural processes that change rocks from one type to another (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) through melting, cooling, weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction/cementation, and metamorphism.

List the three main types of rocks:
- Igneous
- Sedimentary
- Metamorphic

Match the rock type with its formation process:
- Igneous — Cooling and solidification of molten rock (magma or lava)
- Sedimentary — Deposition of sediments followed by burial, compaction, and cementation (lithification)
- Metamorphic — Alteration of existing rock by heat and pressure (recrystallization) without melting

Why is the rock cycle considered a continuous process?
- Because rocks are constantly being broken down, moved, melted, recrystallized, and reformed by Earth processes over geologic time. There is no single start or end point; materials are recycled repeatedly.

What are some geoscience processes? (Forces that wear down or build up Earth’s surface)
- Weathering, erosion, deposition, plate tectonics (uplift, subduction), volcanism, folding and faulting, metamorphism, glaciation, mass wasting (landslides).

What powers the rock cycle?
- Mainly Earth’s internal heat (mantle convection and radioactive decay) drives deep processes (melting, metamorphism, plate tectonics). Solar energy and gravity power surface processes (weathering, erosion, transport).

Does Earth’s surface change gradually or rapidly?
- Both. Many changes are gradual (slow uplift, erosion, sedimentation) but some are rapid (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides).