Rocks are not what they seem.
They are constantly changing.
Changes can take millions of years
or happen very quickly.
Find out what happens step by step
by repeatedly clicking the mouse
or pressing the enter key ………
sediment is compacted (squashed) and particles get cemented
Sediment
shells
mud
sand
weathering and erosion
fast cooling
Igneous rock
small crystals
basalt
granite
large crystals
Sedimentary rock
limestone
mudstone
Any rock can
sandstone
be weathered
or eroded
to mud or
sand
heat and
pressure
Metamorphic rock
marble
heat and
slate
pressure
slow cooling
cooling and
crystallisation
(solidification)
Magma
(molten rock)
very hot!
very high
temperatures
causing melting
Some changes are
rapid eg landslides
and volcanic
eruptions …
… but much of
the cycle takes
millions and millions
of years!
Click here to run the Rock Cycle
again automatically!
sediment is compacted (squashed) and particles get cemented
Sediment
shells
mud
sand
weathering and erosion
fast cooling
Igneous rock
small crystals
basalt
granite
large crystals
Sedimentary rock
limestone
mudstone
Any rock can
sandstone
be weathered
or eroded
to mud or
sand
heat and
pressure
Metamorphic rock
marble
heat and
slate
pressure
slow cooling
cooling and
crystallisation
(solidification)
Magma
(molten rock)
very hot!
very high
temperatures
causing melting
Move back to any point in this presentation
by using either the backspace
or up arrow
keys.
References
Peter Hollamby and Steve Lewis
for the Royal Society of Chemistry