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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Rocks & Minerals

Rock cycle

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

nounCore term

In geology & earth sciences, rock cycle means: The model that shows how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks change into one another over long periods through melting, weathering, burial and heat.

In Turkish: kayaç döngüsü, kayaç çevrimi

How it is used

Taught in the first weeks of every geology course, usually as a diagram with arrows. Students explain the steps with verbs such as melt, cool, weather, erode, deposit, bury and metamorphose.

Example sentences

  1. Draw the rock cycle and write a process on every arrow.

  2. In the rock cycle, a granite can become sand, then sandstone, then quartzite.

Common collocations

  • the rock cycle diagram
  • stages of the rock cycle
  • part of the rock cycle
  • igneous rockRock that forms when molten magma or lava cools and becomes solid. Granite forms slowly underground, while basalt forms quickly at the surface.
  • sedimentary rockRock formed when sediment such as sand, mud or shells is laid down in layers, then buried, pressed together and cemented over time.
  • metamorphic rockRock that has been changed by heat, pressure or hot fluids deep in the Earth without melting, such as marble formed from limestone.
  • weatheringThe breaking down of rock at or near the Earth's surface by physical, chemical or biological processes, without the pieces being carried away.

More terms: Rocks & Minerals

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