You are here:

Content contained within the resource

Teachers' Domain - Digital Media for the Classroom and Professional Development Search Teachers' Domain Go User: My Folders Loading... Create a new folder Upload Media My Groups No groups created yet. Create a new Group Join a Group My Profile HELP | SIGN OUT Please sign in for full access This Teachers' Domain feature requires registration, which is simple, safe, and free. Register Now Citation "Rock Cycle Animation." Teachers' Domain. 17 Dec. 2005. Web. 3 Feb. 2012. .

To embed citation, copy and paste the embed code above into your document. Create a new Folder Title: Description (optional): CREATE NEW FOLDER CANCEL Create a new Group Title: Description (optional): Allow all access requests CREATE NEW GROUP CANCEL Join a Group Enter the group ID number: JOIN GROUP CANCEL Delete this Review Deleting this review will remove it from the Teachers' Domain system. DELETE REVIEW CANCEL Delete this Comment Deleting this comment will remove it from the Teachers' Domain system. DELETE COMMENT CANCEL Not yet registered? Register now to download, share, and save resources. It's simple, safe, and free! Learn More You are now "Test Driving" Teachers' Domain You may view up to 7 resources in this limited trial period. You have 6 views remaining. Register now for unlimited free access and to download, share, and save resources. Learn More Thank you for "Test Driving" Teachers' Domain You have viewed all seven resources permitted in this limited trial period. You may continue to browse the site, but to view, download, share, and save resources, you must register now. Registration is simple, safe, and free. First time here? As a user, you may browse Teachers' Domain and view as many resources as you wish without registering. However, for access to all of the features of Teachers' Domain, we'll need a little more information. Learn More About Registration: Registering with Teachers' Domain is FREE and allows you to: View as many resources as you like Save, sort, and share resources using My Folders and My Groups Download resources to your desktop See standards correlations for your state Register Now For more information: Learn about our online Professional Development Courses, or review our Privacy Policy. If you still have questions, please contact us. Welcome user: Not your account? SIGN IN TO CONNECT THIS ACCOUNT Sign-in Name: Organization: Change Organization Password: Sign In Forgot Your Password? What is this? Signing in now will connect your and Teachers' Domain accounts, so that in the future you will automatically be signed into Teachers' Domain when you come from . Rock Cycle Animation Resource for Grades 3-12 | Citation Media Type: Interactive Running Time: Size: 1.6 MB View SAVE TO FOLDER Loading... Save Cancel Share | Source: McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company. Developed by TERC, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts. This media asset comes from Interactive Rock Cycle Animation by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company. Developed by TERC, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts. Resource Produced by: Collection Developed by: Collection Credits Collection Funded by: Related Resources: Erosion and Weathering (Image) The Grand Canyon: Ancient Mountains (Video) The Grand Canyon: Its Youngest Rocks (Video)   See Also: National K -12 Subject: Changes in the Earth The Rock Cycle Surface Processes The rock cycle has no beginning and no end. Rather, it is an ongoing cycle in which rock — driven by tectonic processes such as volcanoes and earthquakes, the surface processes of weathering and erosion, and compaction — is created and destroyed. In this visualization and collection of animations from McDougal Littell/TERC, follow rock from its origins as magma through other stages of the cycle. Background Essay Rock can be defined as a naturally occurring solid mixture of organic matter and one or more minerals. Certain geological processes act on rock physically and chemically to create and destroy it and they have been doing so continuously throughout Earth's history. The set of processes by which new rock forms from old rock material is called the rock cycle. The location of a rock on Earth determines which natural forces impact it and cause it to change. For example, rock at Earth's surface is primarily affected by forces of weathering and erosion. Deep inside Earth, however, rocks change because of extreme heat and pressure. All of Earth's rock types fall into one of three categories — igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic. These names describe the manner in which the various types of rock form. Igneous rocks solidify from a hot, molten state. Some igneous rocks, such as granite, cool slowly beneath the ground and have relatively large crystals. Others, like basalt, form above the surface when molten lava cools rapidly, and they have small crystals. Sediments form when mineral grains are eroded from surface rock. Wind or water transports the sediments down mountains and hills, and eventually loosely deposits them on level ground or the seafloor. Over time, a layer of sediment is compacted by the mounting pressure and heat from subsequent overlying layers. As air and water are squeezed from their pore spaces, the sediment grains are cemented together, or lithified, to form a solid — though brittle — rock. This rock is called sedimentary rock. Sandstone and shale are two types of sedimentary rock. When large pieces of Earth's crust collide at tectonic plate boundaries, some rock gets forced downward. Once inside Earth, this rock is transformed by heat and pressure as the mineral grains recombine to form new rock. This type of rock — metamorphic rock — includes slate, schist, and gneiss. Given the right conditions, each rock type can be transformed directly into any of the others. Sedimentary rock can form when either igneous or metamorphic rock is brought to the surface and subjected to weathering and erosion, and the resulting sand and clay grains are carried away by rivers and deposited downstream. Metamorphic rock can form when either igneous or sedimentary rock is exposed to heat and pressure. And if either sedimentary rock or metamorphic rock is buried deep enough that it melts, the magma created from this rock can rise and cool to form igneous rock. In addition, each rock type can also be transformed into another rock of the same category if subjected to these processes. Print Background Essay Discussion Questions Discuss the possible journey of rock material from a lava flow back to magma. Describe how metamorphic rock is formed. How are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock related? How long do you think the rock cycle has existed? Print Discussion Questions Standards About Standards | Report a Standards Mismatch About Standards | Report a Standards Mismatch About Standards | Report a Standards Mismatch   close Report a standards correlation problem To help improve this service, please report and describe any standards correlations that you find to be inaccurate. close About standards correlation Academic standards correlations on Teachers' Domain use the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) database of state and national standards, provided to NSDL projects courtesy of JES & Co. We assign reference terms to each statement within a standards document and to each media resource, and correlations are based upon matches of these terms for a given grade band. If a particular standards document of interest to you is not displayed yet, it most likely has not yet been processed by ASN or by Teachers' Domain. We will be adding social studies and arts correlations over the coming year, and also will be increasing the specificity of alignment. Grades:   Change grade range Grades: K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 to: K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 You must be signed in to see standards matches for your state. Loading Standards Comments and Reviews Add a Review Based on 2 reviews Please rate and review this resource: Rating Details (optional): Content: Presentation: Standards alignment: Overall rating: Your review: Post your reviewCancel Loading reviews... Teachers' Domain is proud to be a Pathways portal to the National Science Digital Library.   Major funding for Teachers' Domain was provided by the National Science Foundation. Teachers Domain® Home | Change Edition About Teachers' Domain | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Teachers' Domain: © 2002-2012 WGBH Educational Foundation | shopPBS Educational Media