Material and element cycling of the continental crust and summary

The genetic model of sedimentary rocks (Fig. 1.1) clarifies the cycling evolution of materials in the sedimentation sphere, yet the mountains of continents are not only composed of metasedimentary-volcanic rocks, but also an abundance of granite. Weathered detritus from these rocks become basin sediments that produce a new generation of sedimentary rocks and on burial and deformation become metamorphosed or melted under appropriate conditions, which results in cycling evolution of rock materials that comprise the continental crust.