The Rock Cycle
Explain the rock cycle: how igneous rocks form from magma, sedimentary rocks from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure, and how all rock types can transform into one another over geological time
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“If your child picked up a piece of marble on a school trip, could they explain how it was originally limestone, what changed it into marble, and how long that process took?”
Full guide and materials
- Activity. Explain the rock cycle: how igneous rocks form from magma, sedimentary rocks from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure, and how all rock types can transform into one another over geological time
What to notice. Describes how each rock type (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) is formed • Gives an example of each rock type and its formation (e.g. granite, limestone, marble) • Traces a rock sample through possible transitions in the rock cycle • Explains what geological time means and why rock cycle changes are slow
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If your child picked up a piece of marble on a school trip, could they explain how it was originally limestone, what changed it into marble, and how long that process took?
Explain the rock cycle: how igneous rocks form from magma, sedimentary rocks from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure, and how all rock types can transform into one another over geological time
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Check understanding
- Describes how each rock type (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) is formed
- Gives an example of each rock type and its formation (e.g. granite, limestone, marble)
- Traces a rock sample through possible transitions in the rock cycle
- Explains what geological time means and why rock cycle changes are slow
“If your child picked up a piece of marble on a school trip, could they explain how it was originally limestone, what changed it into marble, and how long that process took?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Matter & Materials
- Age range
- Ages 12–14
Standards