Rocks and

Minerals

By Lily Wright

This image shown above is part of a rock The image above is of a mineral.
formation.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what so much of our world is
made of? The answer? Rocks and minerals make up most of our
world. We interact with rocks and minerals every day of our
lives. There are many different examples of rocks and minerals
and we use them all for so many different purposes. We use
them to build, we wear them, and we even use them to benefit
our health. However, while we often think of them as one,
there are many differences between rocks and minerals. One
of them being that minerals don’t change form as much as rocks
do. Rocks change so much over time that there is actually a
cycle called the rock cycle to describe the changing of rocks.
From the growing and changing of rocks, to the examples of
rocks and minerals, there is so much to be discovered about the
world of rocks and minerals. This is an image of a rock formation in Arizona, The
Grand Canyon.
The Difference Between Rocks and Minerals
A mineral is a solid formation that
occurs naturally in the earth. Some
minerals are elements. For example,
copper and gold are both minerals. A
rock also occurs naturally, however, a
rock is made up of many different
minerals. Rocks fall under three
categories metamorphic, igneous, and
sedimentary.

In his Everyday Einstein podcast,

Lee Falin says,”It turns out that a rock is
made up of two or more minerals.” That
is one big difference between rocks and
minerals. Rocks are actually made of
minerals.
This image shows the difference between what rocks
and minerals might look like. As you can see, a rock is
made up of many different minerals (all the different
colors).
Examples of Rocks and Minerals: The Three
Types of Rocks.
Sedimentary rocks form over thousands of
years. When bits of eroded rock and sediment are
underground the pressure on them pushes them
together, causing them to form a Rock.

Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have

been altered due to heat and pressure. Sometimes
metamorphic rocks are actually two rocks that
have morphed together from exposure to heat and
pressure.

“When hot magma, or lava, cools off, it

crystalizes and forms igneous rocks.” Says Lee This image shows examples of the three different
Falin, when teaching about how igneous rocks groups of rocks. Igneous, sedimentary, and
form In the Everyday Einstein podcast. metamorphic.
 Examples of Rocks and Minerals
A tiny amount of the many examples of
rocks are granite (igneous), limestone
(sedimentary), and marble (metamorphic).
Examples of minerals might be zinc (in
sunscreen), iron ore, or silver.
This image shows granite.
“If you take a piece of granite, you see that it
is made up of minerals such as quartz, mica, and
other minerals mixed in,” says Lee Falin talking
about mica and quartz. Mica and quartz are are
examples the (about) 3,800 types of minerals
that have been discovered. This image shows iron ore.
The Rock Cycle
The rock cycle is the process where
one type of rock changes to another type
of rock (metamorphic to sedimentary,
igneous to metamorphic, sedimentary to
igneous, etc.). For example, over time, an
igneous rock could be eroded to sediment
and eventually become a sedimentary
rock. Or a sedimentary rock could be
heated by friction and radioactivity and
the the rock could get baked. It would
then become a metamorphic rock
because it would have been altered by
heat. Rocks keep changing like this. The This image shows how the rock cycle works. As you
cycle is never ending.”Rocks undergo a can see, any type of rock can become any other type
of rock.
constant cycle of transformation just like
water, only it takes a lot longer,” says Lee
Falin when talking about the rock cycle.
Text Feature: Infographic
This infographic teaches about the way
that each type of rock is formed. As you
can see, each type of rock looks very
different. In this infographic you can see
that there are actually two types of
igneous rocks. Volcanic rocks, which are
formed when lava reaches earth’s surface
and cools, and plutonic rocks, which cool
slowly and solidify deep underground.
Conclusion
As you can see, rocks and minerals are the
foundation of our world. There are many
differences between rocks and minerals, and
within each category (one category being rocks and
the other minerals) there are so many different
examples of rocks and minerals. Furthermore,
they all change over time. For example, rocks are
always in the rock cycle. Rocks and minerals are
important because we use them for many purposes
everyday, and it is important to know about the
things we interact with in our everyday lives.
Believe it or not, all these items that we use in our
everyday lives, have minerals in them. This goes to show
how useful minerals really are.
Bibliography
● https://byjus.com/chemistry/rocks-and-minerals/ (images)
● https://www.pinterest.com/pin/295056213068974003/ (images)
● http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html (images)
● http://www.quartzpage.de/gen_rock.html (text feature)
● “Everyday Einstein” podcast by Lee Falin
● “Rocks vs. Minerals” by Unknown Author
● “What are Igneous, SEdimentary, and Metamorphic Rocks?” by Rebecca
Hylland
● “The Rock Cycle” by Unknown Author