Deep, deep down, the Earth is incredibly hot. We’re talking “melt your face off” temperatures. This heat melts existing rock (usually in the mantle) to create that liquid magma.
Because magma is less dense than the solid rock around it, it’s basically a rebel. It pushes its way up through cracks and weak spots, looking for an escape. Dramatic music intensifies.
Sometimes it gets stuck and cools slowly (hello, diorite). Other times, it erupts as lava onto the surface, creating spectacular shows and, eventually, new land. Yes, you are literally walking on the cooled-down burps of a planet.
Everyday Igneous Rocks You’ve Definitely Seen
Let’s do a little name-dropping. Basalt is the most common type. It makes up the ocean floor and most of the dark, heavy rocks you see in driveways. It’s the workhorse of the rock world.
Types And Examples Of Igneous Rocks Igneous Rocks Definition,
Then there’s granite, the fancy-pants cousin. It’s what kitchen countertops are made of, and it’s also what makes up huge mountains like Yosemite’s El Capitan. Fancy, right?
Don’t forget obsidian (the smooth, black glass used by ancient people for arrowheads) and pumice (that light, bubbly rock that floats in water—yes, it floats! Try doing that with a brick).
Oh, and scoria! It’s like pumice’s heavier, redder sibling. It looks like it’s full of angry little holes. Because, well, it is.
