ROCK CYCLE

ROCK CYCLE

Igneous Rock

Igneous rocks form when hot, molten rock crystallizes and solidifies. The melt originates deep within the Earth near active plate boundaries or hot spots, then rises toward the surface.

diabase

diorite

gabbro

Diabase is crushed and used as a construction aggregate for road beds, buildings, railroad beds , and within dams and levees.

diabase

diorite

gabbro

It is used as a base material in the construction of roads, buildings, and parking areas

Gabbro is widely used as crushed stone for concrete aggregate, road base material, and railroad ballast.

sedimentary rocks

sedimentary rocks often start as sediments carried in rivers and deposited in lakes and oceans. When buried, the sediments lose water and become cemented to form rocks

sandstone

limestone

shale

sandstone

limestone

shale

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of sand-size grains of mineral, rock, or organic material.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate usually in the form of calcite or aragonite. It may contain considerable amounts of magnesium carbonate

Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments

Metamorphic rocks

Metamorphic rocks form when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids or, more commonly, some combination of these factors. Conditions like these are found deep within the Earth or where tectonic plates meet.

gneiss. Crushed quartzite is used in road construction and for railway ballast. It is used to make roofing tiles, stairs, and flooring.

quartzite. building material such as flooring, ornamental stones, gravestones, facing stones on buildings and work surfaces

marble.Most marble is used in the construction industry. Crushed marble is used to build roads, foundations of buildings,