What are the 3 basic types of rocks?
Just as any person can be put into one of two main categories of human being, all rocks can be put into one of three fundamentally different types of rocks. They are as follows: Igneous Rocks Igneous rocks are crystalline solids which form directly from the cooling of magma. This is an exothermic process (it loses heat) and involves a phase change from the liquid to the solid state. The earth is made of igneous rock – at least at the surface where our planet is exposed to the coldness of space. Igneous rocks are given names based upon two things: composition (what they are made of) and texture (how big the crystals are). Click here for more on igneous rock composition and texture. Click here for more on elements and minerals common in igneous rocks. Click here for more on magma and igneous rocks. Click here for more on plate tectonics and the formation of magma. Click here for a chart summarizing the main divisions of igneous rocks. Click here for more on basalt and granite. Sedimentar
