Earth and environmental Sciences

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Rocks are made up of substances called minerals.

Any naturally occurring solid substance with a definite chemical composition is called a mineral.

All rocks are formed in the Earth’s lithosphere, which includes the Earth’s crust and the top part of its mantle, where partially molten rock called

magma flows very slowly under the crust.

Other rocks form as a result of the weathering of older rocks and erosion, creating layers of sediments,

Most minerals in rocks are compounds with one or more metal elements together with the elements oxygen and silicon.

Quartz, one of the most common minerals, consists of hexagonal‐shaped crystals of silicon dioxide (SiO2).

CONCEPTS RELATED TO ROCKS

‘Hot’ rocks​​​​​​​

Lava is released from erupting volcanoes at temperatures

of 1000°C or more.