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The rock cycle is an ongoing process, beginning as rocks are pushed up by tectonic forces, and
eroded by wind and rain. The eroded rocks travel by wind or moving water until they are
deposited, settling into layers. Additional eroded rocks may bury these layers until heat
and pressure change the underlying layers to metamorphic rock. More eroded rocks may squeeze and
press the layers into sedimentary rocks. Rocks can also be sunk down into the lower layers
of the earth by plate tectonic processes. Buried rocks may also
melt and recrystallize into igneous rocks. Metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks may then
be pushed up by tectonic forces, starting the rock cycle again.
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