KOMPAS.com – Life on Earth occurs because of many cycles. From the start of the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, to the life cycle of animals and plants. In addition to this cycle, there is also what is called rock cycle.
Definition of rock cycle
Rocks on earth do not just form. Although hard, rock is not always stone. They live their own life cycle in a very long time and is called the rock cycle.
What is the rock cycle? Rock cycle is the life cycle experienced by the rocks that form the earth. Basically, rocks on earth are formed from magma and over time will return to the form of magma.
Also read: Frozen Rocks: Definitions, Types, and Nomenclature
How does the rock cycle occur? The rock cycle consists of three main types of rock namely igneous rock, sedimentary rock, and metamorphic rock. Here are the stages of the rock cycle on earth!
Magma
The stages of the rock cycle begin with magma beneath the earth’s surface. Reported from The Geological Society of Glasgow, when the lithospheric plate descends into the earth’s crust in the subduction zone, the plate will experience melting due to geothermal heat.
The melted crust will form a hot liquid known as magma. The magma will then escape from its place through plate fractures or volcanoes.
Magma that comes out to the earth’s surface will experience cooling caused by the external environment. The cooled magma will then harden and form igneous rock.
Also read: Sedimentary Rocks: Definition, Classification, and Their Characteristics
Igneous Rock
Reported from Encyclopedia Britannica, weathering and erosion will break igneous rock into gravel, silt, and create small sediments. In addition to the energy of the earth’s ekosgene, weathering of rocks is also assisted by living organisms.
The sediment will then be carried by other earth’s exogenous forces and collect in the basins of the earth’s surface. The accumulated sediment then settles and slowly hardens, forming sedimentary rock.
Sedimentary rock
These sedimentary rocks then undergo the weathering process once again, either due to erosion or the activities of living organisms. Sedimentary rocks then form other types of rocks and also metamorphic rocks.
Also read: Metamorphic Rocks: Definition and Types
metamorphic rock
Reported from National Geographic, metamorphic rock is rock that has changed shape due to very great heat or pressure. The metamorphic rock is then pushed deep into the earth’s surface.
This makes it enter the subduction zone and is exposed to geothermal heat which makes it melt back into magma. Thus, the rock cycle repeats itself.
Unlike the life cycle of plants or animals, the life cycle of rocks is very long. The entire process may only be completed in millions of years. The rock cycle plays an important role in the formation of various rocks on earth.
Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.–
