rock cycle
Stone's endless journey
The rock cycle is the continuous process by which rocks transform from one type to another through geological forces.
Igneous rock forms from cooled magma, weathers into sediment that compresses into sedimentary rock, which heat and pressure convert to metamite metamorphic rock, which may melt back into magma.
The cycle has no fixed sequence—rocks can skip stages or reverse direction depending on conditions.
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- volcanic activityGeological heat release
- erosionGradual wearing away
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
sediment layers · cooling · mineralogy · crystallization · mineral crystals · marble · basalt · plate tectonics · shale · subduction · transformation · uplift · continental crust · gneiss · stratigraphy · heat · recycling · compaction
- Geology Diagramsplate tectonics, cross section, geologic map, tectonic plates, fault line
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, basalt, metamorphic rocks
- Natural Processesphotosynthesis, decomposition, evaporation, erosion, precipitation
- cyclescircle of life, cycles, period, rhythms, oscillations
- visual aidspicture, pictures, photo, photos, image
rock cyclevolcanic eruption
Explosive geological discharge
earthquake · meteor impact · flash flood · landslide · tsunami
rock cyclewater cycle
Continuous planetary moisture movement
carbon cycle · nitrogen cycle · life cycle · oxygen cycle · nutrient cycle
rock cycleentropy
Quantified chaos in systems
heat death · linear progression · Big Bang · radioactive decay · arrow of time