Earth and Space Sciences Regents, June 2026, question 40
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What the figure shows
The model, Model of Rock Formation Environments Along Plate Boundary, shows the ocean surface, a volcano with an eruption cloud, a magma chamber below it, an accretionary wedge, trench sediments and a plate sinking down to the right. Point A is at the vent at the top of the volcano. Point B is in the channel of magma between the magma chamber and the volcano. Point C is at the top of the accretionary wedge near the sea floor. Point D is deep down, along the boundary between the accretionary wedge and the sinking plate. The table in the question pairs each location with a rock forming process and a rock name: A, eruption, granite; B, solidification, peridotite; C, compaction, conglomerate; D, heat/pressure, schist.
How to think about it
For each row, check three things together: what happens at that location in the model, which process that setting causes, and which rock that process makes. Open the Rock Cycle Infographic to see where each rock name forms and by which process. A row is correct only if all three parts agree.
Based on the model, which row in the data table below identifies the correct combination of location of formation, rock forming process, and rock name? Row Location of Formation Rock Forming Process Rock Name
Reference table: Rock Cycle Infographic (2024 edition, page 14)