Rock Cycle Process

Study Notes

The rock cycle is the natural Earth process of how rocks form and convert between types.
There are three types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.
Rocks can take anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years, to millions of years to form or change types.

Igneous rocks form from magma or lava, which is liquid rock.
Magma or lava crystallizes and forms igneous rocks.
Igneous rocks can be transformed into metamorphic rocks through intense heat and pressure.
Igneous rocks can be weathered and eroded into sediment and cemented into sedimentary rocks.
Igneous rocks can also be transformed back into magma.

Sedimentary rocks form from sediments that are broken off other rocks and cemented back together.
Sediments are formed from metamorphic and igneous rocks and even other sedimentary rocks.
Weathering is the first step in the sedimentary rock cycle, where tiny pieces break off the original rock.
Erosion moves the broken pieces of rock away, usually caused by water or wind.
Sediments are transported and deposited through erosion processes.
Compaction and cementation are the processes by which sediments stick together to form sedimentary rocks.

Clastic sedimentary rocks form through the basic sedimentary process.
Bioclastic sedimentary rocks contain pieces of living matter, such as shells or bones.
Organic sedimentary rocks are formed from the remains of plants and animals, such as coal.
Chemical sedimentary rocks are formed through the precipitation of minerals from a solution.

Metamorphic rocks are formed from igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks through intense pressures and heat.
Metamorphic rocks physically and chemically change as a result of these processes.
There are two main processes of metamorphism: contact metamorphism and regional metamorphism.
Metamorphic rocks can be foliated or non-foliated, with foliated rocks having visible layers.

Sediments and rocks can be buried through natural geological processes over time, leading to metamorphism.
Metamorphic rocks can melt into magma and crystallize as igneous rocks.
Igneous rocks can be weathered and eroded away, becoming sedimentary rocks again.
These processes demonstrate the rock cycle, where rocks can change types through geological processes.