Which statement best describes the rock cycle?

Which statement best describes the rock cycle?

• A. A one-way process where rocks are formed once and never change.
• B. A process of weathering only.
• C. A continuous cycle of formation, breakdown, and reformation.
• D. A cycle that applies only to igneous rocks.

Answer: (C)

The rock cycle is a continuous sequence of formation, breakdown, and reformation of rocks driven by processes like cooling of magma, weathering and erosion, sedimentation and lithification, metamorphism, and melting back into magma. This means rocks are constantly changing from one type to another over geologic time, not following a single unidirectional path. That is why the statement describing a continuous cycle of formation, breakdown, and reformation best captures how rocks behave. The other ideas miss this ongoing interconnectedness: rocks aren’t formed once and never change, weathering isn’t the only process, and the cycle isn’t limited to just one rock type.

The rock cycle is a continuous sequence of formation, breakdown, and reformation of rocks driven by processes like cooling of magma, weathering and erosion, sedimentation and lithification, metamorphism, and melting back into magma. This means rocks are constantly changing from one type to another over geologic time, not following a single unidirectional path. That is why the statement describing a continuous cycle of formation, breakdown, and reformation best captures how rocks behave. The other ideas miss this ongoing interconnectedness: rocks aren’t formed once and never change, weathering isn’t the only process, and the cycle isn’t limited to just one rock type.