Lesson 2 of 7

Three types of rock

Goal: Describe how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form.

Puzzles for this lesson

There are three types of rock. Each type forms in a different way.

Swipe to see the three types.

Forms when magma (molten rock) cools and turns solid.

Made of crystals locked together, so it is hard.

Examples: granite and basalt.

Forms when layers of sediment are squashed and stuck together.

Made of grains. It is often in layers and may hold fossils.

Examples: sandstone, limestone and chalk.

Forms when heat and pressure change an existing rock, without melting it.

Made of crystals, often in bands or thin sheets.

Examples: marble and slate.

Slow cooling makes big crystals. Granite cooled slowly, deep underground. Basalt cooled quickly at the surface, so its crystals are tiny.
Sediment is small pieces of rock, or the shells of dead sea animals, that settle in layers.
Minerals are the chemicals that rocks are made from.

Your turn

This lesson’s activity starts here in a moment.

I can match each rock type to how it forms.I can give an example of each.

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Magma Molten rock below the surface of the Earth

Metamorphic rock Formed when heat and pressure change an existing rock without melting it

Sediment Small pieces of rock that settle in layers

For teachers: AQA 3.7.1