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Geology · Beginner
The Rock Cycle
Introduction
Nothing is permanent
The solid ground beneath your feet is anything but permanent. Over millions of years, rocks constantly transform from one type to another through heat, pressure, weathering, and melting.
This endless transformation is called the rock cycle — one of Earth's most fundamental processes. A mountain eroding today may become a beach tomorrow, then a buried sandstone, then a metamorphic gneiss, then molten magma, then a volcanic rock.
Understanding the rock cycle means understanding how Earth itself works.
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