What is the Rock Cycle?

Like most Earth materials, rocks are created and destroyed in cycles. The rock
cycle is a model that describes the formation, breakdown, and reformation of a
rock as a result of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic processes. All rocks are
made up of minerals. A
mineral is defined as a
naturally occurring,
crystalline solid of
definite chemical
composition and a
characteristic crystal
structure. A rock is
any naturally formed,
nonliving, firm, and
coherent aggregate
mass of solid matter
that constitutes part of
a planet.
Igneous rocks- form in two very different environments. All igneous rocks start
out as melted rock, (magma) and then crystallize, or freeze. Bowen's Reaction
Series is a proposed sequence of mineral crystallization from basaltic magma,
based on experimental evidence. Volcanic processes form extrusive igneous rocks.
Extrusive rocks cool quickly on or very near the surface of the earth. Fast cooling
makes crystals too small to see without some kind of magnifier. Basalt is dark rock,
gray or black on a freshly broken surface, and weathers brown or red, because it
contains lots of dark-colored minerals.
Some basalt contains light-colored crystals. Dacite and
andesite are medium in color, and contains medium amounts
of dark minerals. Rhyolite is the lightest colored volcanic
rock. Rhyolite contains very few dark minerals, but
sometimes, rhyolite cools so fast that it quenches and forms
volcanic glass instead of crystallizing. Volcanic glass looks
dark because of the way light passes through it. Obsidian is volcanic glass. Rhyolite
is the most common source of volcanic ash and pumice in Idaho. Intrusive
igneous rocks cool in plutons (Pluto was the Roman god of the Underworld.) deep

below the surface of the Earth. Slow cooling allows the growth
of large crystals. Crystals in intrusive rocks are visible without
magnification. Granite has the same minerals as rhyolite, but
in much larger crystals. Diorite is the intrusive version of
andesite, granodiorite is the intrusive version of dacite, and
gabbro is the intrusive version of basalt.
Metamorphic Rock- Metamorphic rocks form when sedimentary, igneous, or
other metamorphic rocks are subjected to heat and pressure from burial or
contact with intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks. ("Meta" means change, and
"morph" means form.) Heat and pressure from burial cause molecules of flat
minerals like mica to line up perpendicular to the direction of greatest
compression. Deep burial means higher pressure and hotter temperatures, and
very high temperature and pressures cause the formation of new minerals, and
mineral grains. Low-grade metamorphic rocks like slate and phyllite break in flat
pieces, and have a sheen on the surface. Schist is shiny, and many schists contain
garnets, staurolites or other mineral crystals that have grown within the rock.
Gneiss is a foliated metamorphic rock. Layers of dark and light minerals stripe the
rock, and sometimes it is possible to see how the direction of pressure deep in the
Earth changed as the minerals formed. The change in direction forms eye-shaped
pods of minerals, called augens ("augen" is German for "eye.") Quartzite is another
important metamorphic rock in Idaho. Quartzite is metamorphosed sandstone.
Some Idaho quartzite is so pure that it can be used to make computer chips. The
most common contact metamorphic rock in Idaho is marble. The Portneuf Gap
area provides good examples of Idaho marble. Marble forms when limestone is
intruded by a pluton which heats the limestone.
Sedimentary Rock- Sedimentary rocks are those rocks made
up of pieces of other rocks. We call the pieces of rock "clasts"
(Clast means "broken piece"). A clast is a piece of rock broken
off of another rock. Clasts of rock are eroded from larger
rocks, transported (moved) by wind or water and deposited in
a basin.After some period of time, the clasts are lithified
(lithos is the Greek word for stone). The sedimentary rocks we
see today were once gravel, sand, silt, mud, or living things. We decide what to
name sedimentary rocks based on the size of the clasts that make up the rock. For
most sedimentary rocks, this is easy. Sandstone is made of sand, siltstone is made
of silt, mudstone is made of mud and so on. Even volcanic ash can become

sedimentary rock! The only hard ones to remember are conglomerate and breccia.
Conglomerates are made up of rounded, gravel-size particles (To a geologist,
gravel is anything from 2mm to 4 meters in diameter), and breccia is made up of
angular, sharp-edged, gravel-sized clasts. Limestone and chert are classified as
sedimentary rocks, but most limestone and chert are grown by living organisms
rather than broken from other rocks. Some limestones have fossils, but most
limestones and cherts have recrystallized, and the remains of the creatures that
made them are no longer visible.
Terms:
Cementation- The process by which clastic sediment is lithified by precipitation of
mineral cement, such as calcite cement, among the grains of the sediment.
Compaction- Tighter packing of sedimentary grains causing weak lithification and
a decrease in porosity, usually from the weight of overlying sediment.
Deposition- The settling of materials out of a transporting medium.
Erosion- The processes that loosen sediment and move it from one place to
another on Earth's surface. Agents of erosion include water, ice, wind, and gravity.
Lithification- The processes by which sediment is converted into sedimentary
rock. These processes include cementation and compaction.
Magma- Molten rock, generally a silicate melt with suspended crystals and
dissolved gases.
Melting- To go from a solid state to a liquid state.
Metamorphism- Alteration of the minerals and textures of a rock by changes in
temperature and pressure, and/or by a gain or loss of chemical components.
Pressure- The force per unit of area exerted upon something, such as on a surface.
Sediment- Material (such as gravel, sand, mud, and lime) that is transported and
deposited by wind, water, ice, or gravity; material that is precipitated from
solution; deposits of organic origin (such as coal and coral reefs).
Transportation- The processes that carry sediment or other materials away from
their point of origin. Transporting media include wind, water and mantle

convection currents
Uplift-A structurally high area in the crust, produced by movements that raise the
rocks, as in a broad dome or arch.Weathering- The processes by which rocks are
chemically altered or physically broken into fragments as a result of exposure to
atmospheric agents and the pressures and temperatures at or near Earth's surface,
with little or no transportation of the loosened or altered materials.