How do ideas of mountain building and earthquakes relate to the rock cycle?
At subduction zones, one tectonic plate slides under another. When this happens, the rock that goes under generates heat and it melts. As this happens, the fluidity of the melting rock and water in some cases make the plates slippy, and when they slip they cause earthquakes. As one plate sub-ducts under the other, the rock sinks into the mantle via convection currents where is becomes semi molten. As the rock is exposed to extremes of temperatures and pressure, it changes form. As the rock heats up, it makes its way towards the surface again and either sinks again or makes its way to the surface through volcanism. When subduction zones can’t move anymore, they merge together to form mountain belts and then they fuse and no further activity takes place. The rock is then eroded via the weathering and chemical process, and sediments are carried to the seas and oceans. The rocks form sedimentary rocks, which means layers and layers settle upon one another. Eventually the sediments fuse tog
