Rock Cycle Laboratory
Drag a rock sample through weathering, compaction, heat and pressure and watch it transform between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock.
How to use: start with a granite sample and adjust temperature, pressure, weathering and burial depth with the sliders. Raise the time speed to fast-forward geological time and watch the sample move around the rock cycle diagram as its type and texture change. Click a node to inspect what real rocks it represents.
Challenge: turn granite into a metamorphic rock without melting it
Granite melts (becomes magma) above about 800°C. To metamorphose it into gneiss instead, you need heat and pressure that stay below the melting point but above the metamorphic threshold (temperature 300–800°C and pressure above 100 MPa) for at least 5 million years of burial.
Challenge 2: turn your rock into sedimentary rock
Weathering breaks a surface rock into loose sediment, and burial under pressure compacts and cements it into sedimentary rock. Cool the rock to below 150°C with weathering above 40%, then bury it (burial depth > 1 km, pressure > 10 MPa) and let enough time pass.
About the Rock Cycle Laboratory
Free rock cycle laboratory. Drag a rock sample through weathering, compaction, heat and pressure and watch it transform between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for geology, the rock cycle laboratory runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Drag a rock sample through weathering, compaction, heat and pressure and watch it transform between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Use it to explore geology ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Rock Cycle Laboratory
- Use the controls to change Temperature, Pressure, Weathering intensity, Burial depth, Time speed. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Press "Start granite", "Reset to defaults", "📄 Lab Report" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Heat granite past 800°C and watch it melt to magma.
- Weather a rock, then bury and compact it into sedimentary rock.
- Complete the challenge: turn granite into a metamorphic rock without melting it.
- Cool magma slowly versus quickly and compare the resulting texture.
Key ideas you can learn
- The rock cycle has no fixed starting point: any rock can become any other type given the right conditions.
- Weathering and compaction turn igneous or metamorphic rock into sediment, then sedimentary rock.
- Heat and pressure below the melting point cause metamorphism; above it, the rock melts into magma instead.
- Cooling magma forms new igneous rock, closing the cycle.
Where this is used in the real world
Geologists read rock textures in the field to reconstruct a region's entire thermal and tectonic history, from ancient mountain-building to burial and uplift.
Who is this simulation for?
Students, teachers and curious learners of all ages.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between metamorphism and melting?
Metamorphism recrystallizes minerals in the solid state under heat and pressure; melting turns the rock fully liquid, erasing its earlier texture.
Why does texture change through the cycle?
Each process leaves a signature: coarse crystals from slow cooling, layers from sediment compaction, foliation from directed pressure during metamorphism.
Is the Rock Cycle Laboratory free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Rock Cycle Laboratory work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.