Final answer:
The process described in the question results in the formation of an igneous rock. It involves weathering, erosion, lithification of sediment, melting, and finally, the cooling and solidification of magma.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Formation of Igneous Rocks
The scenario described involves several geological processes that together lead to the formation of an igneous rock. Initially, the rock is buried, it then gets exposed to the surface where it undergoes weathering and erosion, turning it into sediment. This sediment is subsequently lithified—through compaction and cementation—to become a sedimentary rock. But the process doesn't stop there; the rock then melts, becoming magma, and upon cooling, it solidifies to form an igneous rock once again. It's the full geological cycle at work, wherein the melted and cooled rock represents the final product as igneous rock.
Igneous rocks result from the solidification and cooling of magma or lava. As magma cools, minerals crystallize and interlock, eventually creating solid rock. This process defines igneous rocks and differentiates them from sedimentary rocks, which are formed from lithified sediment, and metamorphic rocks, which result from the alteration of existing rocks under heat and pressure without melting.