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Rocks are generally classified by mineral and chemical composition, by thetexture of the constituent particles and by
the processes that formed them. These indicators separate rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They
are further classified according to particle size. The transformation of one rock type to another is described by the
geological model called the rock cycle.

Sample of igneous gabbro

Igneous rocks are formed when molten magma cools and are divided into two main categories:plutonic
rock and volcanic. Plutonic or intrusive rocks result when magma cools and crystallizes slowly within the Earth's crust
(example granite), while volcanic or extrusive rocks result from magma reaching the surface either as lava or
fragmental ejecta (examples pumice and basalt) .[1]

Sedimentary sandstone with iron oxide bands

Sedimentary rocks are formed by deposition of either clastic sediments, organic matter, or chemical precipitates
(evaporites), followed by compaction of the particulate matter and cementation during diagenesis. Sedimentary rocks
form at or near the Earth's surface. Mud rocks comprise 65% (mudstone, shale and siltstone); sandstones 20 to 25%
and carbonate rocks10 to 15% (limestone and dolostone).[1]

Metamorphic banded gneiss

Metamorphic rocks are formed by subjecting any rock type (including previously formed metamorphic rock) to
different temperature and pressureconditions than those in which the original rock was formed. These temperatures
and pressures are always higher than those at the Earth's surface and must be sufficiently high so as to change the
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original minerals into other mineral types or else into other forms of the same minerals (e.g. byrecrystallisation).
!
 (derived from the Latin worda
 meaning of fire, from a
a meaning fire) is one of the
three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed
through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. Igneous rock may form with or
withoutcrystallization, either below the surface asintrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface
asextrusive (volcanic) rocks. This magma can be derived from partial melts of pre-existing rocks in either
a planet's mantle or crust. Typically, the melting is caused by one or more of three processes: an increase
in temperature, a decrease in pressure, or a change in composition. Over 700 types of igneous rocks
have been described, most of them having formed beneath the surface ofEarth's crust. These have
diverse properties, depending on their composition and how they were formed.c

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