Name ____________________________ Date ____________________ Class ____________
Section 5 Metamorphic Rocks
Every metamorphic rock is a rock that has changed its ______________. In fact, the word
metamorphic comes from the Greek words meta, meaning “change,” and morphos, meaning “form.”
________ and __________________ deep beneath Earth’s surface can change any rock into
metamorphic rock. When rock changes into metamorphic rock, its appearance, texture, crystal
structure, and mineral content change. Metamorphic rock can form out of igneous, sedimentary, or
other metamorphic rock.
Collisions between Earth’s _____________ can push rocks down toward the heat of the
mantle. ______________ rising through the crust can also provide heat to produce metamorphic
rocks. Rock buried deep in the crust is under _______________ hundreds or thousands of times
greater than at Earth’s surface, and that pressure can change rock into metamorphic rock.
When metamorphic rock is forming, ____________ temperatures can change the size and
shape of ___________ in the rock. Tremendous pressure can also squeeze rock so tightly that the
mineral grains may line up in flat, ________________ layers. Geologists classify metamorphic rocks
according to the arrangement of the grains that make up the rocks. Metamorphic rocks that have their
grains arranged in parallel layers or bands are said to be _______________. Foliated rocks—
including slate, schist, and gneiss—may ______________ apart along these bands. One common
foliated rock is slate, which is basically a denser, more compact version of _______________.
Some metamorphic rocks are non-foliated. The mineral grains in these rocks are arranged
__________________. Non-foliated metamorphic rocks—including marble and quartzite—do not
split into layers. Quartzite forms out of sandstone. The weakly cemented _______________ particles
in the sandstone recrystallize to form quartzite, which is extremely hard.
Certain metamorphic rocks are important materials for building and _______________.
Marble and slate are two of the most useful metamorphic rocks. _____________ can be cut into thin
slabs, and it can be polished so that its surface is smooth and mirror-like. These qualities have led
architects and sculptors to use marble for many buildings and statues. For example, one of America’s
most famous sculptures is in the ______________ ________________ in Washington, D.C. Like
marble, slate comes in a variety of ____________, including gray, black, red, and purple. Slate,
because it is foliated, splits easily into _________________ pieces that can be used for flooring,
roofing, outdoor walkways, or chalkboards.
Name ____________________________ Date ____________________ Class ____________
Section 6 The Rock Cycle
Earth’s rocks are not as ____________________ as they seem. Forces deep inside Earth and
at the surface produce a slow cycle that builds, ___________, and ____________ the rocks in the
crust. The rock cycle is a series of processes on Earth’s surface and in the crust and mantle that
slowly change rocks from one kind to another.
One possible pathway through the rock cycle began with the formation of the igneous rock
granite beneath the surface. The forces of mountain building slowly pushed the granite upward,
forming a _______________. Slowly, water and __________ wore away the granite. The resulting
sand was carried by streams to the ocean. Over millions of years, layers of ______________ piled up
on the ocean floor and changed to sandstone, a _________________ rock. Over time, the sandstone
became deeply buried. Heat and ______________ changed the sandstone to the metamorphic rock
quartzite.
The changes of the rock cycle are closely related to __________ _____________. Plate
movements start the rock cycle by helping to form ___________, the source of igneous rocks. Plate
movements also cause faulting, folding, and other motions of the crust that help to form sedimentary
and metamorphic rocks.
Where oceanic plates move ______________, magma formed from melted mantle rock
moves upward and fills the gap with new igneous rock. A _________________ of continental plates
may push rocks so deep that they melt and form magma. This magma slowly cools and hardens to
form __________________ rock. Sedimentary rock is formed when mountains are worn away by
__________________. The mountains were formed by the collision of continental plates that
produced faults, folds, and uplift of the crust. Metamorphic rock forms from ________________ and
pressure on rocks pushed down deep in the mantle by a collision between continental plates.