Rocks are mixtures of different minerals. Some (1) _____ are made up of many minerals while others are made of just one mineral. The minerals that make up rocks are called (2) _______________. All rocks can be put into one of those fundamental categories based on their origin. Igneous rock got its name from a Latin “word” ignis which means (3) ___________. The parent material of igneous rocks is usually (4) ____________ a molten from deep within the Earth that cools and hardens. When igneous rocks are exposed at the surface, they begin to wear away. They are altered either by physical or (5) ________________ processes. Rainwater may fill cracks in rocks and eventually break them down. Sedimentary rocks are formed from (6) ___________ a process of cementing soft, unconsolidated sediments into hard rocks. Rocks when exposed to the environment tend to break down. It is said that rocks experience weathering. Physical weathering also known as (7) ____________ Weathering refers to the breakdown of rocks without a change in its composition. Chemical weathering is the decomposition of rocks due to (8) _______reactions occurring between the minerals in rocks and the environment. Water is nature’s versatile tool that can bring about (9) _________________. Molecules of some substance in rocks chemically combine with water molecules in a process called (10) ______________.
