3.9: Putting It Together
SUMMARY
In this section, you learned the following:
- The three rock types and how they are classified
- How each of the different rock types form
- The techniques geologist use to identify different rocks
- How to use these techniques to identify common rocks
- How the rock cycle works
SYNTHESIS
The rock cycle is a continuous and dynamic cycle that has no starting or stopping point and no set progression. Rocks can move through different paths within the cycle. The rock cycle explains how each rock type forms and the processes involved. We saw how the processes within the cycle influence everything from soil formation to recording the history of the Earth to the role deformation plays in rocks. It is easy to see how the rock cycle influences our dynamic and ever changing earth.
Contributors and Attributions
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Original content from Kimberly Schulte (Columbia Basin College) and supplemented by Lumen Learning . The content on this page is copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.