We live on a rocky planet. Rocks form the Earth’s solid surface provide raw material for human industries, structural materials, gems, medicines, and even food additives. The conditions of local surface rocks define the stability of human building sites. This talk will introduce the major rock types and discuss the Earth processes that drive cycles of rock formation and transformation— including climatic influences such as the hydrologic processes that we observe in the Laguna de Santa Rosa. It also will explain where the rock types tend to be found, and how to make sure that we experience them.