All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

Which type of rock is formed from cooling and solidification of lava ?

This question was previously asked in
BPSC 70th 2024 Prelims General Studies Question Paper (13-Dec-2024)
The correct answer is

Igneous

 Rock formed by the cooling and solidification of molten material is igneous rock — option 1.

The name says it. “Igneous” comes from the Latin ignis, fire. These are the primary rocks of the Earth’s crust: every sedimentary and metamorphic rock is ultimately derived from them, which is why they are also called parent rocks.

TypeHow it formsExamples
IgneousCooling and solidification of magma or lavaBasalt, granite, gabbro, pumice
SedimentaryCompaction and cementation of transported sediment, or chemical or organic depositionSandstone, shale, limestone, coal
MetamorphicExisting rock altered in the solid state by heat and pressureMarble from limestone, slate from shale, gneiss from granite

Magma against lava — a distinction the question relies on. Molten rock below the surface is magma; once it reaches the surface it is lava. Magma cooling slowly at depth gives intrusive or plutonic rock such as granite, and the slow cooling allows large, visible crystals to grow. Lava cooling quickly in the open air gives extrusive or volcanic rock such as basalt, with crystals too small to see, and sometimes glassy obsidian or frothy pumice where cooling is fastest. Since the question specifies lava, the product is extrusive igneous rock.

An Indian example. The Deccan Traps of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are vast sheets of basalt poured out by fissure eruptions about 66 million years ago. They weather into the black regur or cotton soil that supports the region’s cotton crop.

Why “crystal” is not an option. A crystal is a solid whose atoms are arranged in a regular repeating lattice. Crystals occur in all three rock families, so it names a structure, not a class of rock.

Hence, the answer is Igneous.

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. The Andes extends along which of the following ?

  2. Which is the mountain range along the Mediterranean Coast of Asia Minor ?

  3. Dalmetian Coast is

  4. Average height of snow-line in Uttarakhand Pradesh is

  5. Amarkantak source place of Son river is situated at

  6. Kashmir Valley is which type of Valley ?

  7. Which is the oldest mountain of South America continent ?


Important Questions from Geomorphology

  1. Marble is the metamorphosed form of?

  2. Asthenosphere is:

  3. The discontinuity present in earth's interior between lower mantle and outer core is called _________.

  4. Which of the following igneous rocks contain silica in excess of 65%?

  5. Which one of the following describes the Lithosphere?

Need Expert Advice?
Upcoming Exams
MPPSC
September 07, 2026
TNPSC Group I
September 27, 2026
TNPSC Group II
October 25, 2026
UPPSC
December 06, 2026
RPSC
December 06, 2026
Test Series
Bihar PSC (BPSC) img
State PSC
BPSC 72th CCE Mock Test Series(Latest Pattern)
398 Tests 1 Tests Free
102 Attempts
4.1(38)
English, Hindi
More Questions from Bihar PSC (BPSC)

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App