Picture by Zachary

Igneous rocks are rocks that were once melted but have cooled and hardened.

Some igneous rocks come from volcanoes.

The classifications of igneous rocks include:

Granular: It has crystals large enough to see.

Aphanitic: It has crystals that can only be seen in a microscope

Glassy:  Smooth, looks and feels like glass.

Pyroclastic: Made of glassy, granular, and aphanitic rocks all mixed together.

Porphyritic:  Has both crystals large enough to see and crystals too small to see without a microscope.

Foliated:  The minerals are in bands, like layers of a cake.

Cooking Fun:  To understand how igneous rocks form, get a parent or other adult to help you make some fudge. When the fudge is hot, it is a liquid. Pour it into a pan and watch as it cools. When it cools, it's no longer a liquid. It's hardened like igneous rocks do!