Which rock cycle process describes rocks changing due to heat and pressure without melting?

• A. Melting
• B. Metamorphism
• C. Erosion
• D. Weathering

Answer: (B)

This question tests how rocks change when they are subjected to heat and pressure without melting. That process is metamorphism.

In metamorphism, solid rock experiences high temperatures and pressures deep in the Earth's crust, causing minerals to recrystallize or new minerals to form, and often creating textures like foliation where minerals line up under directional stress. The rock remains solid throughout, so it doesn’t melt into magma. This is different from melting, which would turn rock into liquid magma, and from erosion or weathering, which break rocks down at or near the surface.

Examples include shale turning into slate, limestone turning into marble, and granite turning into gneiss. So the scenario described is metamorphism.