What Are the Particles of Minerals or Other Rocks That Make Up a Rock?

Crust, Mantle and Core

• The earth is made up of a solid outer crust that is made up of the tectonic plates, followed by a liquid mantle, a liquid core, and at the very center, a solid core of iron.

Minerals

• Minerals which occur in most rock are crystalline solids. Common elements found in minerals are oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron and calcium.

Igneous Rock

• Igneous rock forms when lava cools and solidifies. Most igneous rock is a combination of silicate minerals plus other elements.

Metamorphic Rock

• Metamorphic rocks are preexisting formations such as igneous or sedimentary rocks which have been subjected to intense heat and pressure, so that they soften and deform. This changes texture and rearranges minerals in the rock.

Sedimentary Rock

• Sedimentary rocks are formed by either weathering or organic breakdown of igneous, metamorphic and other sedimentary rocks. Examples of sedimentary rock are sandstone (mostly quartz), limestone (calcites) and shale, which is compacted mud.