Name ______KEY_____ date __________ per_________
CLASSIFYING ROCKS
What three (3) characteristics do geologists use to identify rocks?
_color texture mineral composition
Give at least one detail describing each of the characteristics listed above.
____color____ - _provides clues to the rock’s mineral composition_
___texture___ - __look and feel of a rock’s surface__
_mineral composition_ - ___minerals that form to make up the rock__
When we look at Texture of a rock, there are three (3) aspects we use to describe that texture. List those three aspects and explain in your own words what each means.
_grain size_ - _helps to describe a rock as coarse, fine or no visible grain_____
_grain shape_ - __can vary to look like tiny sand particles__
grain pattern_ - _describes whether grains lie in flat layers or look like a stack of
pancakes_
Word Bank:
Mineral Composition Crystals Granite Color Basalt Texture
Provides clues to rock’s mineral composition Grain Size Igneous
Minerals that form to make up a rock Grain Shape Poster
Grain Pattern Look and feel of a rock’s surface
Vary to look like tiny sand particles Gneiss Graphic Organizer
Helps to describe a rock as coarse, fine or no visible grain Breccia
Describes whether grains lie in flat layers or look like a stack of pancakes

CLASSIFYING ROCKS (Igneous)
What three (3) characteristics are used to classify Igneous Rocks?
__origin____ __texture_ _mineral composition_
In your own words, give a brief description of each characteristic.
__origin___ - ______where the rock is formed___
__texture__ - __determined by the size and shape of the rock’s mineral crystals
_mineral composition - _describes the mineral make-up of a rock and can help
determine its color_
What are Extrusive Igneous Rocks? Rock formed when lava cools on the Earth’s
surface.
What are Intrusive Igneous Rocks? Rock formed when magma cools slowly
beneath the Earth’s surface
What characteristics make Igneous Rocks useful?
Igneous rocks are hard, dense and durable and makes them very useful for tools and building materials.
Would Pumice be a good material to use to make a floor? Explain?
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Word Bank: Origin Rock formed when lava cools on the Earth’s surface
Texture Hard, Dense, and Durable Mineral Composition Cause & Effect
Rock formed when magma cools slowly beneath the Earth’s surface Obsidian
Where the rock is formed Glassy Coarse-Grained Microscope
Is determined by the size and shape of the rock’s mineral crystals Quartz
Describes the Mineral make-up of a rock and can help determine its color