7.1.1

What are Rocks?

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What are Rocks?

Rocks are solids (at room temperature) and are made up of tiny grains that together, form a rock. Rocks can form in different ways and so have different properties, e.g. whether or not they are porous.

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Porous rocks

  • Porous rocks absorb water.
  • Porous rocks are also usually softer- they erode more easily.
  • This is because there are tiny gaps between the grains in the rocks and water is able to pass between these gaps.
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Non-porous rocks

  • Non-porous rocks do not absorb water.
  • Non-porous rocks are usually hard- they erode less easily.
  • This is because the grains in the rock are interlinked which means that water (and other substances) cannot pass between the rocks.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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