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The rock cycle is the natural process in which rocks transform from one rock type into another rock type over time, a type of natural recycling.

Igneous rocks, which are formed from magma cooling underground, or lava above ground are formed from previous igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks which have become melted, usually as a result of plate collision and subduction.------->

When these igneous rocks are exposed to weathering and erosion, they break down into smaller particles that are transported by wind and water to a place of deposition, where they can form into sedimentary rock strata, through a process of lithification, where excess water is squeezed out by overburden pressures and the particles are cemented together by various minerals precipitating out of solution. Igneous and metamorphic rocks can both be turned into sedimentary rocks in this way.------->

Igneous and sedimentary rocks can also be changed by heat and/or pressure into metamorphic rocks, by transforming their existing mineral structures into new minerals or realigning the existing minerals. There are different degrees of metamorphism, so even an existing metamorphic rock can become a different metamorphic rock. -------->

If these metamorphic rocks are melted, then solidify, they become igneous rocks, and the cycle starts all over again.

The rock cycle is largely driven by lithospheric plate movements which cause subduction and uplift, also by climatic conditions and the associated erosional elements.


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Related Questions

Who invented the rock cycle?

The concept of the rock cycle was not invented by a single individual, but was developed through the work of many geologists over time. James Hutton, a Scottish geologist, is often credited with laying the foundation for the understanding of rock cycles and earth processes in his work "Theory of the Earth" published in 1788.


Does the rock cycle have to start from the sedimentary rock?

No, the rock cycle does not have to start from the sedimentary rock


What does the rock cycle and water cycle have in common?

The rock cycle and water cycle both are natural.


What is the rock cycle including descriptions of how one type of rock can change into another type?

It is called the Rock Cycle.


What is beginning of the rock cycle?

there is no beginning or end of the rock cycle


What is is rock cycle?

The Rock Cycle contributes to the formation of rocks : ~ )


WHAT is the change of one type of rock into a new type of rock?

ANSWER: rock cycle


What effect does weathering and erosion have on the rock cycle?

Weather and erosion only mark a rock. They leave lines /patterns and eventualy work into it.


What type of rock comes first in the rock cycle?

No Rock Comes First... its a cycle


How and why is the rock cycle called a cycle?

a rock cycle is known as a " rock cycle " because the wheel of a bicycle spins at a total 360 degrees and therefore never has an interfierence to when it comes to an end. SO the word cycle was given to a rock cycle because the prosedure never ends.


What would happen to the rock cycle if did not occur?

There Would No longer Be a Rock Cycle :(


How would rock cycle be used in a sentence?

The cycle of rocks from their birth to eventual decay is termed as Rock Cycle.