1. Earth’s Endless Recycling Planet
The Rock Cycle
Earth’s Endless Recycling Planet

2. Forces That Shape the Earth

3. What is a rock?
A rock is one or more minerals bound together. It is a naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter
Rocks are classified by their origin.
Igneous - formed from magma
Sedimentary - formed from sediments
Metamorphic - formed by extreme heat and pressure

4. Where can rocks form? Rocks can form in two places:
Earth’s Crust
Earth’s Mantel
All three major rock classifications come from one another through the ROCK CYCLE.

5. What is the Rock Cycle?
Rock Cycle - a map of the different routes a rock can take during its lifetime.
It is organized into a series of events/processes that demonstrates how rocks gradually and continuously change.

6. Processes that shape the Earth
Weathering is the process in which water, wind, ice, and heat break down rock.
Erosion is the process by which sediment is removed from its source.
Deposition is the process in which sediment is moved by erosion and comes to rest. Sediment is deposited in bodies of water and other low-lying areas.

7. Processes that shape the Earth
Heat and Pressure can cause rock to change (metamorphosis) or the heat can be hot enough that rock melts.
Uplift is movement within the Earth that causes rocks inside the Earth to be moved to the Earth’s surface.
After uplift is when weathering, erosion, and deposition begin – starting the Rock Cycle…

8. Looking at your BEST FRIEND!
Arrows represent - events/processes
Uplift, weathering, erosion, heat, pressure, melting
Boxes represent - rock types AND MVP’S of the cycle
Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Magma and Sediments

9. How the Rock Cycle Works
1.) Start with molten magma and we move it to the Earth’s crust, by tectonic activity.
2.) Solidification - crystallization, the cooling and hardening of lava to form an igneous rock.

10. How the Rock Cycle Works
3.) Igneous rocks can also solidify under the Earth’s surface.
To bring these igneous rocks to Earth’s surface we need to UPLIFT them.
4.) Weathering and erosion of igneous rocks creates sediment.

11. How the Rock Cycle Works
5.) Sediments are then transported to the ocean.
As runoff, or by rivers
6.) Sediments are then deposited on the ocean floor.
7.) The accumulation of sediments leads to the burial of these sediments.

12. How the Rock Cycle Works
8.) Heat and Pressure cause the cementation or compaction, forming a sedimentary rock.
9.) Plate Tectonics and burial continues to bury the rock deep in Earth’s crust.
10.) Extreme heat and pressure build causing the rock to change, forming a metamorphic rock.

13. How the Rock Cycle Works
Plate Tectonics continues to bury the rock and the heat and pressure become so extreme it causes the rock to melt into magma.
REPEAT!

14. Rock Classification Based on:
Composition and Texture
Composition is the chemical makeup of a rock; describes either the minerals or other materials in the rock
Texture is the quality of a rock that is based on the sizes, shapes, and positions of the rock’s grains.