1001 Space Earth Earth Rocks and Minerals Landscape Sea Weather and Climate Natural Disasters Resources Nature History Human World Science and Technology

Choose a Page:*What is the rock cycle?*What is weathering?What shapes the cliffs along the s...Do rocks dissolve?Can living things break down rocks?How are caves made?How do sand dunes move?Why do desert rocks have fantastic...How do rivers form?What makes waterfalls?What is scree?What is an oxbow lake?Is all erosion slow? What is the rock cycle? All rocks, whether they are sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic, are constantly being created and destroyed. Whenever a rock is exposed at the surface the forces of weather and erosion slowly break it down. The broken particles are carried along by winds or rivers and eventually accumulate, forming sedimentary rocks. These may melt and solidify as igneous rocks, or may be compressed to form metamorphic rocks. If they reappear at the surface, the process, called the rock cycle, starts all over again. The minerals that form rocks take part in an endless round of construction and destruction.   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: Earth Chapter: Landscape