Rock Cycle Worksheets - - Free Printable

Let’s solve this step by step.

We are labeling the processes in the rock cycle. The diagram shows how rocks change from one type to another, and we need to fill in the blanks with the correct process names from the Word Box.

The Word Box has these options:
- Weathering & erosion
- Heat & pressure
- Melting
- Cooling
- Deposition, compaction, & cementation

Now let’s go around the cycle:

1. From Igneous rock → Sediments:
What turns solid rock into small pieces (sediments)? That’s weathering & erosion — breaking down rocks by wind, water, ice, etc.

2. From Sediments → Sedimentary rock:
How do loose sediments become hard rock? They get buried, squished, and glued together. That’s deposition, compaction, & cementation.

3. From Sedimentary rock → Metamorphic rock:
What changes sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock? It gets squeezed and heated deep underground. That’s heat & pressure.

4. From Metamorphic rock → Magma:
How does rock turn into magma? It melts! So that’s melting.

5. From Magma → Igneous rock:
When magma cools down, it hardens into igneous rock. That’s cooling.

Also, there’s a blank box at the top between “Sediments” and “Sedimentary rock” — but looking at the arrows, that blank is actually pointing to the *process* that turns sediments into sedimentary rock. We already said that’s “Deposition, compaction, & cementation”. But wait — the arrow goes FROM sediments TO sedimentary rock, so yes, that blank should be filled with that phrase.

Actually, looking again — the blank rectangle at the top is placed above the arrow going from “Sediments” to “Sedimentary rock”, so it’s meant for the process that happens during that step. Same as what we just said.

But hold on — there are 5 blank rectangles total:

- One between Igneous rock → Sediments → label: Weathering & erosion
- One between Sediments → Sedimentary rock → label: Deposition, compaction, & cementation
- One between Sedimentary rock → Metamorphic rock → label: Heat & pressure
- One between Metamorphic rock → Magma → label: Melting
- One between Magma → Igneous rock → label: Cooling

That uses all five terms from the word box. Perfect.

So now we assign each term to its correct spot based on the direction of the arrows.

Final Answer:
- Arrow from Igneous rock to Sediments: Weathering & erosion
- Arrow from Sediments to Sedimentary rock: Deposition, compaction, & cementation
- Arrow from Sedimentary rock to Metamorphic rock: Heat & pressure
- Arrow from Metamorphic rock to Magma: Melting
- Arrow from Magma to Igneous rock: Cooling

──────────────────────────────────────

Final Answer:
Top blank (between Sediments and Sedimentary rock): Deposition, compaction, & cementation
Right blank (between Sedimentary rock and Metamorphic rock): Heat & pressure
Bottom right blank (between Metamorphic rock and Magma): Melting
Bottom left blank (between Magma and Igneous rock): Cooling
Left blank (between Igneous rock and Sediments): Weathering & erosion