MagmaRock so hot it is entirely molten, at about 800 to 1300 °C.
Igneous rockRock formed when magma cools: slowly underground (intrusive) or quickly at the surface (extrusive).
SedimentLoose grains of weathered rock, carried away and laid down in layers.
Sedimentary rockRock made of sediment that was buried, pressed together and cemented.
Metamorphic rockRock changed by heat and pressure deep underground without melting.
The 5 processes 5
Cooling and crystallizationMagma cools and its minerals crystallize, forming igneous rock.
Weathering and erosionRock at the surface is broken down and carried away as sediment.
Compaction and cementationBuried sediment is squeezed and cemented into sedimentary rock.
Heat and pressureDeep burial heats and squeezes rock, changing it into metamorphic rock.
MeltingRock heated enough deep underground melts back into magma.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) Steven Earle, Physical Geology (BC open textbook), 3.1 The Rock Cycle, https://opentextbc.ca/geology/chapter/3-1-the-rock-cycle/ : magma is rock hot enough to be entirely molten, about 800 to 1300 °C; it cools slowly in the crust into intrusive igneous rock or quickly at the surface into extrusive igneous rock; uplifted rock is weathered and eroded; sediment is deposited, buried, compressed and cemented into sedimentary rock; rock buried deeper is metamorphosed by heat and pressure, and may melt to form magma. (2) Penn State, Physical Geology, The rock cycle, https://psu.pb.unizin.org/geosc1hb/chapter/chapter-4-the-rock-cycle/ : igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock; weathering and erosion to sediment; deposition, compaction and cementation; heat and pressure; melting and cooling; uplift and burial. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
This rock cycle diagram labeled part by part shows the five earth materials as pictures round a loop, with an arrow for each process that turns one into another. Start with the 5 materials, then name the processes; print it blank as a worksheet.
Read the full guide
Round the loop
Magma cools and crystallizes into igneous rock. At the surface, weathering and erosion break rock into sediment, which is buried and turned into sedimentary rock by compaction and cementation. Heat and pressure change it into metamorphic rock, and melting turns that back into magma.
Short cuts
The loop is not a one-way street. Any rock at the surface can be weathered into sediment, any rock buried deep enough can be changed by heat and pressure, and any rock can melt.
Igneous rock that forms underground, hundreds of metres to tens of kilometres down, joins the cycle only once uplift and erosion bring it to the surface.
Questions and answers
What are the three types of rock in the rock cycle?
Igneous rock, made when magma cools; sedimentary rock, made from buried and cemented sediment; and metamorphic rock, made when heat and pressure change an existing rock.
What drives the rock cycle?
Earth's internal heat, which melts and moves rock and pushes it up into mountains, and energy from the sun, which drives the weathering and erosion that wear it down.
How does sediment become sedimentary rock?
It is laid down and buried under more sediment. At depths of hundreds of metres it is squeezed together, compaction, and its grains are glued by minerals, cementation.