rock cycle

American  

noun

1. Geology. a continuous process by which rocks are created, changed from one form to another, destroyed, and then formed again.

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rock cycle British  

noun

1. another name for geological cycle

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Etymology

Origin of rock cycle

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

It promised to explain how mountains form and fall, the hydrologic cycle, soil formation and erosion, minerals, the rock cycle, and why ocean sediments end up in weird places like the top of mountains.

From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2019

The various processes related to uplift and weathering are summarized in the rock cycle in Figure 5.2.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The rock cycle summarizes the processes that contribute to cycling of rock material among these three types.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The rock cycle is still active on Earth because our core is hot enough to keep the mantle moving, our atmosphere is relatively thick, and we have liquid water.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The rock cycle, as we now know, is driven by plate tectonics, with sedimentary material vanishing into subduction zones.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2013