Part of GED® Science: Earth & Space Science
GED® Science: The Rock Cycle & Minerals (Deep Dive)
A deep dive into the rocks beneath your feet, expanding the single 'Rock Cycle & Minerals' lesson from the GED® Earth & Space Science course into a full mini-course. You'll start with minerals -- the building blocks of rocks -- and how to identify them, then explore how each of the three rock families forms: igneous from cooling magma, sedimentary from layers of sediment, and metamorphic from heat and pressure. Finally you'll see how the rock cycle ties them all together, with any rock able to become any other over time. Plain language, all-new labeled diagrams, common-misconception warnings, and GED®-style practice with full explanations.
📚 Course Curriculum
Before we can understand rocks, we need to meet their ingredients: minerals. People often use 'rock' and 'mineral' to mean the same thing, but to …
Open trial session →Igneous rock is the starting point of most rock — it forms when hot, molten rock cools and hardens (the word comes from the Latin …
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Sedimentary rock is the great record-keeper of Earth's history. It forms at or near the surface, building up in layers over long stretches of time …
Open trial session →Metamorphic rock is a 'made-over' rock. Take any existing rock — igneous, sedimentary, or even another metamorphic rock — bury it deep where it is …
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Now put the pieces together. Rocks are not permanent — given enough time, any rock can become any other kind. This endless set of changes …
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Geologists are detectives: a rock's texture tells the story of how it formed, and that lets you identify it and even put a number on …
Open trial session →Course Syllabus
This self-paced GED® Science course follows a 6-lesson sequence. Work through the modules in order so that each skill supports the next.
Course sequence
Module 1 - Lessons 1-3
- Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks
- Igneous Rocks: Born from Fire
- Sedimentary Rocks: Layers of Time
Module 2 - Lessons 4-6
- Metamorphic Rocks: Changed by Heat & Pressure
- The Rock Cycle: Everything Is Connected
- Reading the Rocks: Identifying & Using Them
Practice and completion
- Use worked examples and lesson practice to check understanding after each module.
- Review incorrect answers, explain the correction, and repeat weak skills.
- Complete the available mixed or final course practice to demonstrate readiness.
Course Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain the key scientific ideas and vocabulary in Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks.
- Interpret observations, data, models, or evidence related to Igneous Rocks: Born from Fire.
- Apply scientific reasoning to questions involving Sedimentary Rocks: Layers of Time.
- Evaluate explanations and identify common errors about The Rock Cycle: Everything Is Connected.
- Connect Reading the Rocks: Identifying & Using Them with other course concepts in mixed practice.
- Use feedback and answer explanations to diagnose and correct mistakes.
- Complete mixed, exam-style practice with clearer reasoning and greater independence.
📝 Practice Questions
30 interactive questions with instant feedback and explanations.
Enroll for free to unlock the full practice bank after the trial sessions.