The rock cycle

The Earth's rocks slowly and endlessly turn into one another. Weathering and erosion break any rock at the surface into sediment, which settles, is pressed and cemented into sedimentary rock. Any rock buried deep under heat and pressure becomes metamorphic rock; if it gets hot enough to melt it becomes magma, which cools into igneous rock, inside the Earth or at the surface. Uplift brings deep rocks back up, and weathering starts again. The cycle has shortcuts: an igneous rock can become metamorphic without reaching the surface, a sedimentary rock can melt. Most steps take millions of years. Its energy comes from the Earth's inner heat and from the Sun, which drives wind, rain and rivers.

Depth 1 · Foundation

You can follow how any of the three rock families can turn into the others, name the process on each path, and say where the cycle's energy comes from.

Depths of understanding

1
Foundation
You can follow how any of the three rock families can turn into the others, name the process on each path, and say where the cycle's energy comes from.
Opens after
Igneous rocks, depth 2The cycle joins up the three families, so you need each of them first.Sedimentary rocks, depth 2The cycle joins up the three families, so you need each of them first.Metamorphic rocks, depth 2The cycle joins up the three families, so you need each of them first.Erosion, depth 3Weathering and erosion are the steps that turn any rock into sediment.

Your path here

What's still between you and The rock cycle, depth 1, in the order you can learn it.

Where it fits

Builds on

Igneous rocksDepth 2 Sedimentary rocksDepth 2 Metamorphic rocksDepth 2 ErosionDepth 3

This concept

The rock cycleRocks and Soil

Builds onThis conceptIgneous rocksDepth 2 Sedimentary rocksDepth 2 Metamorphic rocksDepth 2 ErosionDepth 3 The rock cycleRocks and Soil