Rock Cycle Simulation — Igneous, Sedimentary & Metamorphic

Q: What's the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rock?

Intrusive igneous rock cools slowly deep underground, giving crystals time to grow large (like granite). Extrusive igneous rock erupts as lava and cools rapidly at the surface, producing small or no visible crystals (like basalt).

Q: How does sediment become sedimentary rock?

Loose particles from weathering and erosion are deposited in layers, then compacted by overlying weight and cemented by mineral-rich water, turning loose sediment into solid sedimentary rock.

Q: What triggers metamorphism?

Existing rock is subjected to heat and pressure well below its melting point, usually from deep burial or tectonic activity, reorganising its mineral structure without fully melting it.

Q: Can metamorphic rock skip becoming magma?

Yes, metamorphic rock can also be uplifted and eroded directly back into loose sediments without ever melting.

Q: Why is the rock cycle described as a cycle if it can skip steps?

Material is continuously recycled among the three broad rock categories over geological time, not required to pass through every stage in a fixed order.

🪨 Rock Cycle

Geological material cycle

Speed

Animation speed 1×

Rock Types

Magma / Lava

Igneous rocks

Sediments

Sedimentary rocks

Metamorphic rocks

Actions

Selected Node

Click any node on the diagram to see rock examples and formation details.

Stats

Particles

Flows active

Eruptions

Cycles

About this simulation

This simulation animates particles flowing through the six rock-forming processes that connect magma, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock into a continuous cycle. Rather than a static textbook diagram, hundreds of particles physically travel along labelled pathways — slow cooling, volcanic eruption, weathering, burial, heat-and-pressure metamorphism, and partial melting — so the cycle's true multi-directional nature becomes visible instead of implied.

🔬 What it shows

Magma splits into two igneous paths: slow cooling underground makes intrusive igneous rock, while volcanic eruption and fast cooling at the surface makes extrusive igneous rock. Both weather and erode into loose sediments, which are buried, compacted and cemented into sedimentary rock. Deep burial under heat and pressure turns either igneous or sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock, and metamorphic rock can itself melt back into magma — closing the loop, though the cycle can also shortcut at several points, such as sedimentary rock eroding directly back to sediments or subducting straight into magma.

🎮 How to use

Watch particles flow automatically, or click any node (magma, intrusive/extrusive igneous, sediments, sedimentary, metamorphic) to see its info box with composition and formation details. Adjust Animation speed to slow down or speed up particle flow, and use Pause/Reset to freeze the cycle or restart it from scratch. Live stats track total particles, active flows, eruptions, and completed full cycles.

💡 Did you know?

The rock cycle has no fixed starting point and no required order — a sedimentary rock can subduct and melt directly into magma without ever becoming metamorphic, and a metamorphic rock can be uplifted and eroded straight back into sediments without first melting. It's a network of possible transformations, not a single loop.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rock?

Both form from cooling magma, but intrusive igneous rock cools slowly deep underground, giving crystals time to grow large (like granite). Extrusive igneous rock erupts as lava and cools rapidly at the surface, producing small or no visible crystals (like basalt) because there's far less time for crystal growth.

How does sediment become sedimentary rock?

Loose particles produced by weathering and erosion are transported by water, wind or ice and deposited in layers. Over time, the weight of overlying layers compacts these particles, and mineral-rich water cements them together — the combined process of burial, compaction and cementation that turns loose sediment into solid sedimentary rock.

What triggers metamorphism?

Metamorphism happens when existing rock — igneous or sedimentary — is subjected to heat and pressure well below its melting point, usually from deep burial or tectonic activity. This reorganises the rock's mineral structure and texture without fully melting it, producing metamorphic rock such as marble (from limestone) or slate (from shale).

Can metamorphic rock skip becoming magma?

Yes — the simulation shows metamorphic rock can also be uplifted and eroded directly back into loose sediments, re-entering the cycle at an earlier stage without ever melting. Melting into magma is only one of several possible next steps for metamorphic rock.

Why is the rock cycle described as a "cycle" if it can skip steps?

The name reflects that material is continuously recycled among the three broad rock categories over geological time, not that every rock must pass through every stage in a fixed order. Any rock type can, in principle, eventually become any other rock type given the right sequence of geological processes — which is exactly why the simulation includes multiple shortcut pathways rather than a single closed loop.