THE ROCK CYCLE

Earth Science
 TYPES OF ROCKS

• IGNEOUS ROCKS

• SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• METAMORPHIC ROCKS
 IGNEOUS ROCKS

• Igneous rocks are formed when hot magma

(melted rock) is rapidly cooled, either by hitting
underground air pockets or by flowing from the
mouth of a volcano as lava. Granite, obsidian,
and pumice are all common examples of
igneous rocks. Pumice is a very porousrock,
because when the lava cooled, pockets of air
were trapped inside. Because of all those air
pockets, pumice can actually float!
 SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Sedimentary rocks are formed by layers

of sediment (dirt, rock particles, etc.)
being mixed and compressed together for
extended periods of time. Common
examples of these rocks are limestone,
sandstone, and shale. Sedimentary rocks
often have lots of fossils in them because
plants and animals get buried in the layers
of sediment and turned into stone..
 METAMORPHIC ROCKS

• Metamorphic rocks are a

combination of rock types,
compressed together by high
pressure and high heat. They usually
have a more hard, grainy texture than
the other two types. Schist, slate, and
gneiss (pronounced like ‘nice’) are
metamorphic rocks.
 ROCK CYCLE

Rocks are constantly changing

in what is called the rock cycle. It
takes millions of years for rocks
to change.
 ROCK CYCLE STEPS

• Weathering & Erosion. Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks on the surface of
the earth are constantly being broken down by wind and water. Wind carrying sand
wears particles off rock like sandpaper. Rushing river water and crashing surf rub off all
the rough edges of rocks, leaving smooth river rocks or pebbles behind. Water seeps
into the cracks in mountain rocks, then freezes, causing the rocks to break open. The
result of all this: large rocks are worn down to small particles. When the particles are
broken off a rock and stay in the same area, it is called weathering. When the particles
are carried somewhere else, it is called erosion.
• Transportation. Eroded rock particles are carried away by wind or by rain, streams,
rivers, and oceans.
• Rock Melting. Can you imagine ‘rock hard’ rocks melting? That’s what they do in the
depths of the earth! Metamorphic rocks underground melt to become magma.When a
volcano erupts, magma flows out of it. (When magma is on the earth’s surface, it is
called lava.) As the lava cools it hardens and becomes igneous rock. As soon as new
 ROCK CYCLE STEPS

• Deposition. As rivers get deeper or flow into the ocean, their current slows down,
and the rock particles (mixed with soil) sink and become a layer of sediment. Often
the sediment builds up faster than it can be washed away, creating little islands
and forcing the river to break up into many channels in a delta.
• Compaction & Cementation. As the layers of sediment stack up (above water or
below), the weight and pressure compacts the bottom layers. (Try making a stack
of catalogs and watch how the bottom one gets squished as you add more on top
– this is the same idea as the compaction of layers of sediment.) Dissolved
minerals fill in the small gaps between particles and then solidify, acting as
cement. After years of compaction and cementation, the sediment turns
into sedimentary rock.
• Metamorphism. Over very long periods of time, sedimentary or igneous rocks end
up buried deep underground, usually because of the movement of tectonic plates.
While underground, these rocks are exposed to high heat and pressure, which
changes them into metamorphic rock. This tends to happen where tectonic plates
come together: the pressure of the plates squish the rock that is heated from hot
magma below. (Tectonic plates are large sections of the earth’s crust that move