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The Rock Cycle
Rocks form from other rocks. Classifying the rocks of the crust according to
their origins shows how closely related they are. The rock cycle is the
repeated series of events by which rock gradually and continually changes
from one type to another. The diagram of the rock cycle below illustrates a
simplified model of this continuous process of rock formation and change.
CLASSZONE.COM
How Do Rocks Undergo Change?
Follow a rock through various paths
of the rock cycle.
Keycode: ES0602
Rock Cycle
Deposition
Weathering & Erosion
Burial & Compaction
He
a
lting
Me
Igneous Rock
pl
if t
ta
,W
ea
nd
/o
Cementation
th
rP
e ri
ng
si o n
U
&E
ros
ion
Ero
Uplift
Sediments
River Delta
Image not available.
Please refer to the
image in the textbook
res
or in the eEdition CD.
su
re
Sedimentary Rock
Solidification
e lt
M
ing
Heat and/or Pressure
(Metamorphism)
Lava
Magma at Earth's Surface
Melting
Metamorphic Rock
Magma from deep below Earth’s surface is the source of all Earth’s rocks.
When this molten rock approaches or reaches the surface, it cools and
solidifies to become igneous rock.
Once at the surface, igneous rocks are slowly broken down by weathering
and erosion, forming sediments. As later sediments accumulate on top of
earlier layers, the buried sediments begin to compact and cement together.
In this way, the sediments become sedimentary rocks.
Over time, these sedimentary rocks are buried beneath other sediments
or are caught in movements of Earth’s crust that expose them to high
Chapter 6 Rocks
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