1. Melted rock or magma is sent to the earth's surface by a volcano. It cools and forms an igneous rock. 2. Next the weather, or a river, and other events will slowly break up this rock into small pieces of sediment. 3. As sediment builds up and hardens over years, a sedimentary rock is formed. 4. Slowly this sediment rock will get covered with other rocks and end up deep in the Earth's crust. 5. When the pressure and heat get high enough, the sedimentary rock will metamorphose into a metamorphic rock and the cycle will start over again. Cool facts from ducksters.com skrub