The Rock Cycle
The rock cycle shows how rocks change from one type to another through melting, weathering, compaction and heat over millions of years.
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The rock cycle shows how rocks change from one type to another through melting, weathering, compaction and heat over millions of years.
- Magma cools to form igneous rock
- Sediment is compacted into sedimentary rock
- Heat and pressure make metamorphic rock
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Rock Cycle?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains The Rock Cycle. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain The Rock Cycle in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Rock Cycle helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
The Rock Cycle in detail
The rock cycle shows how rocks are continually changed from one type to another over millions of years. Igneous rocks form when magma or lava cools and solidifies. Weathering and erosion break rocks into sediments that are carried by water, wind or ice, deposited and then compacted and cemented to form sedimentary rocks.
Heat and pressure from burial or tectonic movement change rocks into metamorphic rocks without melting. If they melt, they form magma, starting the cycle again. Uplift brings rocks to the surface. The rock cycle is driven by Earth's internal heat and by the surface processes powered by the Sun and water.
How the interactive helps you understand The Rock Cycle
Watch the cycle in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the cycle responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Rock Cycle.
Real-life uses and examples
- Link The Rock Cycle to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
- Use a diagram of The Rock Cycle to describe the steps of a process in order.
- Discuss how human activity changes The Rock Cycle, using a named example.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Rock Cycle
What is The Rock Cycle?
The rock cycle shows how rocks change from one type to another through melting, weathering, compaction and heat over millions of years.
What are the most important points about The Rock Cycle?
The main points are: Magma cools to form igneous rock; Sediment is compacted into sedimentary rock; Heat and pressure make metamorphic rock.
Why is The Rock Cycle useful?
Understanding The Rock Cycle helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise The Rock Cycle?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Rock Cycle?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Soil Formation, Earthquakes and Seismology, Weather Elements.