Answers to Chapter 6 Review Questions
- The rock must be exposed at surface. This means uplift and removal of overlying rocks and sediments is required. Once exposed, chemical and/or physical weathering can reduce the rock to smaller loose fragments (sediments). The sediments can be eroded and then transported by a variety of mechanisms.
- Sediments are buried beneath other sediments, where pressure compacts the sediments, forcing grains closer together. Mineral cement forms around the grains, binding them to each other and into solid rock.
- Rock is buried deeply in the crust and exposed to very high temperatures and pressures. Under those conditions, a new type of rock is formed when minerals undergo physical changes and chemical reactions.
