Nov 25, 2025 · Rock, in geology, naturally occurring and coherent aggregate of one or more minerals. Such aggregates constitute the basic unit of which the solid Earth is composed and …

Nov 6, 2025 · Sedimentary rock, rock formed at or near Earth’s surface by the accumulation and lithification of sediment or by the precipitation from solution at normal surface temperatures. …

Oct 31, 2025 · Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of magma, which is a hot (600 to 1,300 °C, or 1,100 to 2,400 °F) molten or partially molten rock material. Earth is composed …

The Earth's surface and crust are constantly evolving through a process called the rock cycle.

The word metamorphism is taken from the Greek for “change of form”; metamorphic rocks are derived from igneous or sedimentary rocks that have altered their form (recrystallized) as a …

Oct 18, 2025 · Despite the wide variety of igneous and sedimentary rock types that can recrystallize into metamorphic rocks, most metamorphic rocks can be described with reference …

Oct 18, 2025 · The specific shape of a pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) path depends on the tectonic setting in which the rock was metamorphosed, which in turn controls the relative rates …

Geologic history of Earth, evolution of the continents, oceans, atmosphere, and biosphere; the layers of rock at Earth’s surface contain evidence of the evolutionary processes undergone by …

To understand this little-known period, the following factors have to be considered: the age of formation at 4.6 billion years ago, the processes in operation until 4.3 billion years ago, the …

What are the types of geologic rocks? There are two different ways that rocks are often classified; the first is based on the processes by which they form, in which rocks are classified as either …