The Rock Cycle Sedimentary Metamorphic Igneous

This story begins at the bottom of an ancient lake bed.

Many streams and rivers ran down the mountains and into the lake.

The slow moving streams deposited a green layer of fine silt.

Then the rainfall increased! The stream began moving more rapidly and picked up huge boulders that were deposited on top of the green silt

Then there was a drought and the river was no longer rushing quickly.

The slow moving river could still carry sand. A layer of sand was deposited on top of the large boulders.

It began to rain more, once again and the river picked up large boulders, which were deposited into the lake bed on top of the sand.

The river began moving faster and picked up more fine green silt and deposited it on top of the boulders.

Millions of years later, the lake dried up.

Years later, a stream cut through one corner of the lake bed exposing layers of sedimentary rock.

Over the next few thousand years, something exciting happens. Hot magma begins to push towards the surface of the earth.

The rocks become super heated and are under tremendous pressure. They changed into metamorphic rocks

Millions of years later, humans came along and wanted to build a road through the ancient lake bed.

Part 2

Over the next few million years the wind, rain, streams and waves completely erode the ancient lake bed.

Tons upon tons of metamorphic rock are transported to the ocean and deposited in the bottom of the ocean. This created a huge layer of sediment.

These sediments lie on top of a place where two huge plates come together.

This collision causes dangerous volcanoes to form.

Then a stream cuts through the side of the volcano and erodes part of it away.

More sediment, pebbles, sand, and silt are made. The rock cycle continues to change our Earth.

Similarities Use one of the sentence frames below to write a sentence about how two of the types of rock are alike. Igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks are similar because… Both sedimentary and metamorphic rocks have…. Igneous rocks are like sedimentary rocks because they both…

Differences Use one of the sentence frames below to write a sentence about how two of the types of rock are different. Igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks are different because… Sedimentary and metamorphic rocks have many differences such as…. Igneous rocks are different from sedimentary rocks because…