How Rocks Are Made and Different Types of Rocks Explained for 8-Year-Olds

How Are Rocks Made?

Rocks are made from natural materials that come from inside the Earth or from pieces of other rocks. They are like Earth’s building blocks!

There are three main ways rocks are made. These create three main types of rocks:

1. Igneous Rocks

These rocks form when hot, melted rock called lava or magma cools down and hardens. Imagine when you leave water in the freezer and it turns to ice. Lava cools down like that and turns into rock! For example, granite and pumice are igneous rocks.

2. Sedimentary Rocks

These rocks form from tiny pieces of other rocks, plants, or even animals that settle at the bottom of rivers, lakes, or oceans. Over a long time, these pieces get pressed together and harden to make rock. Examples are sandstone and limestone.

3. Metamorphic Rocks

These rocks start out as igneous or sedimentary rocks but change when they get squeezed or heated inside the Earth. They don’t melt but change into new rocks. Marble and slate are metamorphic rocks.

Summary

• Igneous: Rocks from cooled lava or magma.
• Sedimentary: Rocks from pressed-together bits of rock and stuff.
• Metamorphic: Changed rocks from heat and pressure.

So, rocks are made in amazing ways that take a very long time, and by learning about them, we learn about the Earth too!