Trap rock

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/trap-rock

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary rock type?Basalt (extrusive igneous rock)
2. What is the formation environment?Rapid cooling of mafic lava at the Earth's surface
3. Why is trap rock so strong?Trap rock is very strong because it has lots of magnesium and iron, and its crystals are tiny or glassy, which makes it hard and tough.
4. How is trap rock made?It forms when hot lava from a volcano cools fast at the Earth's surface, or when magma cools slowly underground into dikes and sills.

Mafic: Describes igneous rocks rich in magnesium and iron, typically dark-colored.
Aphanitic Texture: A fine-grained texture in igneous rocks where individual mineral crystals are too small to be seen without magnification.
Dike: A vertical or near-vertical sheet of igneous rock that cuts across pre-existing rock layers.
Sill: A horizontal or near-horizontal sheet of igneous rock that forms between pre-existing rock layers.