Inside Earth, heat, pressure, and melting change sedimentary and igneous rock into metamorphic rock. Intense heating results in hot liquid rock (magma) bursting through Earth's surface and turning into solid igneous rock. Over time, this rock gets weathered and eroded, and the cycle begins again.

What is the rock cycle How does it work?

The rock cycle is a concept used to explain how the three basic rock types are related and how Earth processes, over geologic time, change a rock from one type into another. Plate tectonic activity, along with weathering and erosional processes, are responsible for the continued recycling of rocks.

At what point does the rock cycle really begin?

The rock cycle begins with molten rock (magma below ground, lava above ground), which cools and hardens to form igneous rock. Exposure to weathering and erosional forces, break the original rock into smaller pieces.