The rocks are buried deep under the ground.So it affects the earth and thus it affects us.
Sometimes it moves to the earth surface and then erupts from a volcano and thus it also sends gases and ash to the atmosphere
.
Why is rock cycle important to us?
The rock cycle is predictable and
provides insight into the probable locations of energy sources
. For example, fossil fuels are found in sedimentary environments while radioactive elements for nuclear energy (uranium) may be found in igneous or sedimentary environments.
What is the rock cycle and how does it affect the earth?
The Rock Cycle is
Earth’s great recycling process where igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks can all be derived from and form one another
. Analogous to recycling a Coke can, where an old can will be used to produce a new can, the rock cycle is ever changing the rocks and minerals that make up Earth.
What does the rock cycle teach us?
The rock cycle is a concept used to explain
how the three basic rock types are related and how Earth processes, over geologic time, change a rock from one type into another
.
Can humans affect the rock cycle Why or why not?
Humans interact with the rock cycle by mining rocks for useful minerals such as gold and for fuel such as coal, oil and gas
. Metals are found within igneous and sedimentary rocks.
Why is learning about the rock cycle will help us better understand the world around us?
The rock cycle also
gives scientists and engineers an idea on where energy sources (mainly fossil fuels, which are found only in sedimentary rock) and building materials such as marble or granite may be located
. We will see throughout the course how this cycle plays into just about every aspect of geology.
What would happen without the rock cycle?
Weathering and erosion, transport and deposition would all effectively stop
. Scientists believe that, if all these active processes of the rock cycle ceased to operate, then our planet would cease to be able to support any life.
How does the rock cycle affect the hydrosphere?
Weathering of rocks also
removes carbon from the atmosphere and transports it to the hydrosphere as a dissolved material
. Carbon moves from the atmosphere to the hydrosphere when atmospheric CO2 dissolves in water.
What are those environmental factors that affect the changed condition of rocks?
Rainfall and temperature
can affect the rate in which rocks weather. High temperatures and greater rainfall increase the rate of chemical weathering. 2. Rocks in tropical regions exposed to abundant rainfall and hot temperatures weather much faster than similar rocks residing in cold, dry regions.
How might the study of rocks help us understand Earth’s past?
Geologists study rocks because
they contain clues about what the Earth was like in the past
. We can assemble a historical record of a planet and trace events that occurred long before humans roamed our planet.
How does geologic uplift happen?
Uplift is the process by which the earth’s surface slowly rises
either due to increasing upward force applied from below or decreasing downward force (weight) from above
. During uplift, land, as well as the sea floor, rises. The outer shell of the earth, the crust, divides into moving sections called plates.
What would happen to the rock cycle of erosion did not occur?
if weathering and erosion did not occur,
sedimentary rocks would not form
. If heat and pressure did not occur, metamorphic rocks would not form.
What happens when sedimentary rock is weathered?
Sedimentary Rocks:
Once material is weathered from rocks,
it is transported away and later deposited somewhere else, and eventually is turned into new rocks
. Such rocks are called sedimentary rocks, and they’re the subject of this lecture.
How do rocks change in the rock cycle?
Inside Earth,
heat, pressure, and melting change sedimentary and igneous rock into metamorphic rock
. Intense heating results in hot liquid rock (magma) bursting through Earth’s surface and turning into solid igneous rock. Over time, this rock gets weathered and eroded, and the cycle begins again.
How does the rock cycle affect the biosphere?
“Rocks” are primarily forms of oxides and carbonates. The rock cycle thus
affects how oxygen and carbon dioxide are sequestered or recycled
in the biosphere.
