Exploring the rock cycle...using chocolate

Last week we looked at how different rock types are created. We used chocolate, hand pressure and warm or hot water to recreate the conditions that sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rock types are created.

Sedimentary rock types - 

• Sedimentary rocks are formed by sediment that is deposited over time, usually as layers at the bottom of lakes and oceans.
• This sediment can include minerals, small pieces of plants and other organic matter.
• The sediment is compressed over a long period of time before consolidating into solid layers of rock.

Metamorphic rock types - 

• Metamorphic rocks have been changed over time by extreme pressure and heat.
• Metamorphic rocks can be formed by pressure deep under the Earth's surface, from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Igneous rock types - 

• Igneous rock is formed when magma cools and solidifies, it may do this above or below the Earth's surface.