Principles Module

of Soil
Science 2
Soil Formation &
Development

How rocks
are formed? Lesson 1:
Soil Forming Rocks and
Minerals
Principles Module
of Soil
Science 2
Soil Formation &
Development

How rocks
Rocks? are formed? Lesson 1:
Soil Forming Rocks and
Minerals
Minerals?
 RECAP!!!
1. What is soil?
2. What are the 5 factors of soil formation?
3. What are the branches/areas in soil science?
4. What is pedosphere?
5. How many essential nutrients we have today?
6. What are the macro and micro nutrients?
 Learning outcomes:

1) define and discuss the differences between rocks and minerals,

2) define igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks,
3) illustrate and discuss the rock cycle,
4) discuss the mode of formation, texture, color, and acidity of igneous
rocks,
5) enumerate examples of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
rocks, and
6) determine and define primary and secondary minerals.
 How rocks are formed?
What rocks are made of? Where they came from?
Why we have smooth and rough rocks?
Why we have black and white rocks?
Why they have various colors?
Do you know that we have rocks that are considered
acidic and basic? Why we have big rocks like human
size or much? And why we have hand-size rocks?

Rocks are everywhere!

 Rocks and Minerals: Definition

Rocks: naturally occurring, hard, & consolidated inorganic materials of the earth
: composed of one or more minerals.
Minerals: solid, inorganic, homogenous, crystalline, element, and compound.

Rock
Simple illustration on the origin of soil

Minerals regolith
 basalt andesite obsidian

sandstone shale limestone

Soil forming rocks quartzite slate marble

 Types of Rocks

Rock types, their origin, and properties

 Types of Rocks

Igneous rocks: form from solidification of lava or magma

extrusive igneous rocks: forms at the earth’s surface, small mineral crystals
intrusive igneous rocks: forms below the earth’s surface, larger mineral crystals
The faster the rate of cooling, the smaller the sizes of the mineral crystals produced.
Igneous rocks may be the most important of the three types because the other two forms are
alterations or changes of igneous rocks.

Sedimentary rocks: form by consolidation and lithification of sediments

Lithification is a process of sedimentary rock formation

Metamorphic rocks: rocks formed from the alteration of preexisting rocks due to
heat, stress and pressure
Any rock can become any other rock
depending on what processes or
path it takes.

Rock cycle allows us to visualize the

interrelationships among different parts
of the Earth system
 Mode of formation of igneous rocks: intrusive and extrusive

Intrusive or plutonic igneous rocks: Extrusive or volcanic igneous rocks:

magma solidifies or crystallizes solidification of lava or volcanic debris
at very great depths

basalt andesite
granite gabbro
 RECAP!!!
1. What is rock?
2. What is mineral?
3. What are the 3 different types of rocks?
4. How igneous rocks are formed?
5. Differences between intrusive and extrusive
igneous rocks.
6. Example of igneous rock.
7. What is rock cycle?
Types of igneous rock textures

Texture describes the overall appearance of a rock based on the size, shape,
and arrangement of mineral grains. There are factors that influence the texture:
• rate of cooling: slow rate (fewer but larger crystals); fast rate (many small
crystals)
• amount of silica
• amount of dissolved gasses
 Types of igneous rock textures

1) Aphanitic (fine-grained) texture:

• rapid rate of cooling; microscopic crystals
2) Phaneritic (coarse-grained) texture:
• slow cooling; large, visible crystals
3) Porphyritic texture
• large crystals (phenocrysts) are embedded in a matrix of smaller
crystals (groundmass)
• mixtures of coarse and fine crystals probably results from two-step
cooling
4) Vesicular texture:
• rocks contain voids left by gas bubbles in the lava
• a common feature of an extrusive igneous rock
 Types of igneous rock textures

Vesicular texture:
• rocks contain voids left by gas bubbles in the lava
• a common feature of an extrusive igneous rock

Pumice
 Types of igneous rock textures

5) Glassy texture: obsidian

• fine-grained minerals formed due to very rapid cooling;
• ions are frozen in place before they can unite in an orderly crystalline
structure;
• lava may cool so rapidly that the crystallization process does not take
place and the resulting rock has a glassy appearance for example
obsidian.
6) Pyroclastic (fragmental) texture
• forms from the consolidation of individual rock fragments ejected during
explosive eruptions
7) Pegmatitic texture:
• coarse-grained (greater than 1 cm); form in late stages of crystallization
of magmas (rocks are called pegmatites)
 Types of igneous rock textures
Glassy texture

Vesicular texture

Porphyritic texture
Pyroclastic texture

Phaneritic texture Aphanitic texture

 Composition of igneous rocks

Igneous rocks are composed mainly of silicate minerals.

Dark (ferromagnesian) silicates: rich in iron and/or magnesium

• olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite mica

Light (non-ferromagnesian) silicates: rich in potassium, sodium, or calcium

• quartz, muscovite mica, and feldspars.
 Broad groups of igneous rocks

Granitic or felsic composition:

• termed felsic (feldspar and silica) in composition
• light-colored silicates
• composed almost entirely of quartz and potassium feldspar
• high silica (SiO2) content and contains about 10% dark silicate minerals
• a major constituent of continental crust
Basaltic or mafic composition:
• termed mafic (magnesium and ferrum, for iron) in composition
• no quartz
• contain at least 45% dark silicates and calcium-rich feldspar
• higher density than granitic rocks
• comprise the ocean floor and many volcanic islands
• also forms extensive lava flows on the continents
 Other compositional groups

Andesitic or intermediate composition:

• contain 25% or more dark silicate minerals.
• Ex. amphibole, pyroxene, and biotite mica)
• associated with volcanic activity on the seaward margins of the
continents and volcanic island arcs.

Ultramafic composition:
• composition of mostly olivine and pyroxene
• composed almost entirely of ferromagnesian minerals
• Peridotite is an example and main constituent of the upper mantle
 Based on Acidity

Generally, basic rocks give rise to basic soils.

• While acid parent rocks give rise to acid soils.
• The amount of silica determines the acidity of a rock.
• The more basic the rock the less the amount of silica.
 Examples of Igneous rocks

granite gabbro basalt

which consists mainly of quartz, Dark colored. Have little or no quartz.
silica (SiO2), feldspar, and mica These are basic rocks that form basic soils.
(muscovite and biotite). Main components are feldspars, hornblende and
augite minerals.
 Examples of Sedimentary rocks

sandstone shale limestone

sand size grains cemented (CaCO3) is calcitic /

clay size grains
together (Ca, Mg)(CO3)2 is dolomitic
cemented together
Examples of metamorphic rocks

sandstone shale limestone

quartzite slate marble

 Primary vs Secondary minerals

Primary minerals: Secondary minerals:

• minerals that crystallize from cooling magma • minerals that crystallize during the weathering
• important primary minerals of primary minerals
• important secondary minerals
1) Clay minerals
• kaolinite, montmorillonite
2) non-silicate/ amorphous
 oxides: hematite, Fe2O3; goethite, FeO(OH); gibbsite,
Al(OH)3
 carbonates: calcite, CaCO3; dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2
 sulfates: gypsum, CaSO4 . 2H2O

• The clay fraction is largely composed of secondary minerals, while the

silt and sand fractions are usually composed of primary minerals.
• The sand fraction is usually composed of minerals that are relatively
resistant to weathering such as quartz.
• The mineral composition of rocks determines their physical and chemical
properties.
 Soil forming rocks and minerals

Done lesson 1-Module 2

What’s next?

Lesson 2
Weathering