A 20-pound sedimentary rock formed on a mountain cliff near the sea. The rock was made up of grains of sand, pebbles, and exoskeletons of tiny insects. It was held together by calcite. One day, the rock fell into the ocean and over time was buried deep inside Earth. Once inside, the rock was no longer sedimentary but instead turned into a metamorphic rock. After many years, it returned to Earth's surface. Why did the rock not become an igneous rock?

Question

Weston Allen

Biology

10 January, 15:46

A 20-pound sedimentary rock formed on a mountain cliff near the sea. The rock was made up of grains of sand, pebbles, and exoskeletons of tiny insects. It was held together by calcite. One day, the rock fell into the ocean and over time was buried deep inside Earth. Once inside, the rock was no longer sedimentary but instead turned into a metamorphic rock. After many years, it returned to Earth's surface. Why did the rock not become an igneous rock?

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Amara · Answer 1

The rock did not become an igneous rock because igneous rock can not be formed from sedimentary rock. A metamorphic rock can be formed from a sedimentary or igneous rock but an igneous rock can not be formed from a sedimentary or metamorphic rock. Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling and hardening of molten magma only.