How to Learn About the Rock Cycle
Geology and earth sciences often involve learning about cycles. One such cycle is the rock cycle. The rock cycle explains how rocks form and how rocks change over time. The Earth's weather and geological composition both factor into the rock cycle. Complex processes such as intrusive crystallization also occur. These terms and processes may be unfamiliar at first. When learning about the rock cycle, it may be best to first acclimate yourself to the process and then to use quizzes or activities to further cement your knowledge.
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Instructions
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Draw a rock at the top of a piece of paper. This rock represents rocks at the Earth's surface.
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Draw an arrow down to the right and draw a picture of rock chunks and dust; label this "Sediment." Write "Weathering, Erosion and Deposition." Over time, weather erodes and breaks down rocks and forms sediment. Factors such as water and gravity carry the sediment and deposit them into the ground.
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Draw an arrow from the "Weathering, Erosion and Deposition" picture downward and toward the left. Draw a picture of sedimentary rock, rocks with layers. At this stage, the rocks become compacted and form layers in the Earth's crust.
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Draw an arrow from the "Sedimentary Rock" slightly upward and toward the left. Draw a picture representing metamorphic rock. Over time, sedimentary rock, due to pressure and heat, changes and becomes metamorphic rock.
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Draw an arrow from the "Metamorphic Rock" upward and to the left. Draw hot magma. Again, the Earth's pressure and heat changes the rock to magma, a viscous form of rock.
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Draw two arrows from the "Magma." Label one picture "Extrusion" and the other "Intrusive Crystallization." At the magma stage, rocks have two options: to reach the surface of the earth and harden (during a volcanic eruption) or to form pockets of magma which, over time, crystallize and harden (intrusive crystallization).
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Draw an arrow from the extrusion rock to the first picture in your cycle, the rock at the Earth's surface. Draw arrows from the metamorphic rock, sedimentary rock and intrusive crystallization rocks to the rock at the Earth's surface. Write "Uplift" next to these arrows. A rock does not always undergo each cycle phase; sometimes, due to pressure and other factors such as earthquakes, rocks in certain phases (such as sedimentary rocks) are pushed upward to the surface where the cycle begins again.
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Tips & Warnings
To help cement your knowledge, visit your local library and borrow books that have activities and other information about the rock cycle. Take quizzes and tests. Get outside and examine rocks that you find in your backyard.
References
- Photo Credit lava image by Renato Francia from Fotolia.com
