The rock cycle is an illustration that explains how the three rock types are related to each other, and how processes change from one type to another over time.
It describes the dynamic transitions through geologic time among the three main rock types: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.
Each type of rock is altered or destroyed when it is forced out of its conditions.
An igneous rock such as basalt may break down and dissolve when exposed to the atmosphere (water, temperature, pressure, wind) or melt as it is forced by fault lines to go under a continent.
Due to the driving forces of the rock cycle, plate tectonics and the water cycle, rocks do not remain in stable balance / equilibrium and are forced to change as they encounter new environments.
A diamond is a mineral from within an igneous or metamorphic rock that formed at high temperature and pressure.
for image see source
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_cycle
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