Earth > If Rocks Could Talk > Deformed Conglomerate

Deformed Conglomerate: And it's not an easy process, Rondi. I have lots of aches and pains from going through it.

Deformed Conglomerate: Sure thing, Rondi. You see, Earth is always recycling rocks, changing them from one type to another. Melted rock, or magma, forms igneous rocks. These rocks form underground or above ground.

Deformed Conglomerate: Sure! Granites form by cooling slowly underground. Volcanic rocks form when lava erupts from a volcano and cools quickly above ground.

Deformed Conglomerate: Over time, underground rocks are pushed up and exposed at the surface by the movement of Earth. Weathering like rain and wind breaks up these rocks into smaller pieces and deposits them in lakes and oceans. Over time, layers of sediment can become pressed to form sedimentary rock.

Deformed Conglomerate: Sometimes, igneous and sedimentary rocks are buried deep in Earth. Extreme heat and pressure can change them into metamorphic rocks. If the heat becomes really intense, rocks can even melt to form magma.

Deformed Conglomerate: And the cycle begins again! It makes me hurt all over just to think about it.

Deformed Conglomerate: Conglomerate: That's right. It takes millions of years, but rocks are recycling all the time. Imagine what our planet would be like if it just kept making new rocks, but didn't recycle the old ones! It just goes to show how important it is to recycle everything you can, from aluminum cans to plastic bags.

Deformed Conglomerate: It's nice, isn't it? "Deformed Conglomerate" just rolls off the tongue. My name fits me perfectly. You see, a "conglomerate" is a mix of different things. And that's me, all right. If you take a closer look, you'll see I have many wavy patterns of different colors, textures, and grain sizes.

Deformed Conglomerate: Those were once igneous rock that erupted from a volcano. Like many rocks on Earth’s surface, they were worn down into pebbles over time.

Deformed Conglomerate: I’m happy to tell you. My pebbles ended up in a stream with other sediments like sand and silt. And you know what happens when sediments build up and become compacted.

Deformed Conglomerate: That's right. I turned into a conglomerate rock. But my story doesn't end there—as if I hadn't been through enough already! After many more years, I was buried under a mountain. This happened because pieces of Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, collided together to form a mountain range.

Deformed Conglomerate: You're not kidding. My layers of sediment were squished into wavy patterns. The pebbles of igneous rock were harder to crush, but they were still flattened. Let me tell you, becoming a metamorphic rock is hard work. After that experience, I was warped. I was distorted. I was ...

Deformed Conglomerate: Exactly! And that's how I got my name, "Deformed Conglomerate."

Deformed Conglomerate: Who knows! I could have been broken up into smaller pieces by wind and rain, then compacted again into sedimentary rock. If I ended up under another mountain, I may have gotten squished all over again into a different metamorphic rock.

Deformed Conglomerate: It's exhausting just to think about it.