7C2 SLGRocks PDF

7G Summary Sheets
Solids, liquids and gases
• Solids are made up of particles that are very close

together and are held tightly together by strong bonds.
SOLID
• Solids cannot be squashed, do not flow, have a fixed
shape and volume, and have a high density.
• Liquids are made up of particles that are fairly close

together; the bonds between the particles are weaker
than the bonds in solids.
LIQUID • Liquids cannot be squashed, flow quite easily, and
have a fixed volume but no fixed shape.
• Although they are dense, liquids usually have a lower
density than solids.
• Gases are made up of particles that are well spread

out, with no bonds between them.
• Gases are quite easy to squash, flow easily, have no
GAS fixed volume and no fixed shape.
• Gases have a lower density than liquids.
SOLID
Adapted from Exploring Science for QCA Copymaster File 7 © Pearson Education Limited 2002
LIQUID
GAS
Diffusion
The natural mixing of substances is called diffusion. Diffusion occurs because particles in a
substance are always moving around. Diffusion is fastest in gases, and slower in liquids. Diffusion
in solids is extremely slow.
Pressure in gases
Pressure is caused by particles hitting the walls of the container they are in. If the pressure becomes
too great for a fixed container to hold, it will burst.
The pressure may increase because:

• the container has been squashed, making the volume smaller; this means that the particles will
be hitting the walls more often.
• the number of particles has been increased, which means there are more particles moving
around to hit the walls.
• the temperature of the particles has increased, so they will move around faster and hit the
walls harder and more often.
If the particles are in a container which is flexible, like a balloon or a syringe, an increase in
pressure will make the volume increase.
The idea of particles is a theory that scientists use to explain observations. Scientists use theories
to make predictions, and test the predictions to find out if they are correct. If the predictions are not
correct, then the theory may have to be changed to help to explain the new evidence.
Rocks and weathering
Rock textures
Rocks are made of grains. Each grain is made of a chemical called a mineral. The texture of a rock
depends on the size and shape of the grains.
Sandstone has rounded grains.

Sandstone is porous, because water can get into gaps
between the grains.
Granite has interlocking grains. The interlocking grains

are sometimes called crystals. Rocks with interlocking
grains are not porous.
Weathering
Rocks can be worn away by water or by changes in
temperature.
Chemical weathering happens when rainwater reacts with

minerals in the rock. Rainwater is slightly acidic, because
it contains dissolved gases.
Physical weathering can happen in different ways. The minerals in a rock expand if it gets hot, and
contract if it cools. These changes in size can produce strong forces. If the rock is heated and cooled
over and over again the forces can make cracks in the rock.
Physical weathering can also happen if water gets into a

crack in the rock and freezes. Water expands when it turns
into ice, and makes the crack wider. This kind of physical
weathering is called freeze–thaw action.
Biological weathering is when rocks are broken up or worn away by plants and animals. For
example, plant roots can grow into cracks in rocks and make the cracks bigger.
Erosion and transport
Weathered pieces of rock fall to the bottom of cliffs. This
movement of bits of rock is called erosion. The bits of
rock can be transported away by streams and rivers.
Pieces of rock bump into each other while they are being
transported, and bits get knocked off them. This is called
abrasion. The bits of rock carried by a river are called
sediment.
Fast moving water can move larger pieces of rock than slow moving water. Rivers slow down when
they flow into a lake or the sea. The slow moving water cannot carry all of the sediment, so some of
it is deposited on the bottom. Sediments often form layers. Layers of sediment can also form when
sea water evaporates and leaves salts behind.
Sometimes dead plants or animals fall to the bottom of the sea. If their remains get covered by other
sediments they may form fossils. When a dead organism forms a fossil, its form can still be seen
because either it has not rotted away or its hard parts have been turned into stone. Fossils can help
geologists find out how rocks were formed.
If a lot of plant material is buried at once, it may turn into coal. When tiny sea plants and animals
get buried they sometimes turn into oil or natural gas. These are all fossil fuels.

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7G Summary Sheets

Solids, liquids and gases

• Solids are made up of particles that are very close

• Liquids are made up of particles that are fairly close

• Gases are made up of particles that are well spread

The pressure may increase because:

Sandstone has rounded grains.

Granite has interlocking grains. The interlocking grains

Chemical weathering happens when rainwater reacts with

Physical weathering can also happen if water gets into a

Erosion and transport

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