Ch 3 - Our Fascinating Earth Vocabulary Pt II Flashcards
What is a rock?
hard material that composes the earth’s crust
What are minerals?
the individual substances that make up rocks
What is a fossil?
any trace left in rock by a plant or animal
What are gemstones?
small deposits or igneous and metamorphic crystals in rock
What are precious stones?
the rarest, most durable and beautiful gems
What is ore?
a rock containing a metal together with impurities
What is fossil fuel?
a fuel derived from the remains of once-living things; coal and petroleum are fossil fuels
What is petroleum?
a fossil fuel that may have been formed from the remains of once-living creatures; means “rock oil”
What is hydrocarbon?
a chemical substance made primarily of hydrogen and oxygen
What is a cave?
any hollow space in the earth’s crust that has formed naturally and is large enough for a person to enter
What is a sea cave?
a cave formed when the ocean erodes a weak area of a cliff
What is a lava cave?
a cave formed when molten lava flows beneath a hardened surface of lava and leaves behind an underground chamber
What is a solution cave?
a cave formed by the dissolving of underground rocks by water
What is magnetism?
the force that pulls magnets apart or pushes them together
What is a magnetic field?
the area surrounding a magnet in which the force of magnetism affects other objects
What are magnetic poles?
the two ends of a magnet where the magnetic field is most concentrated
What is an electromagnet?
a magnet that becomes magnetized only when it is hooked to a battery or some other source of electric current
What is the magnetosphere?
the region of space affected by the earth’s magnetic field
What is solar wind?
a stream of potentially harmful particles that flows constantly from the surface of the sun
What are auroras?
displays of light that occur when solar wind particles collide with molecules of air in the earth’s atmosphere
What is igneous rock?
rock formed when molten rock solidifies either above or below the ground
What is sedimentary rock?
rock formed from sediments that have been pressed together to form rock
What is limestone?
the most common type of organic sedimentary rock, made from calcium carbonate
What is coal?
a useful fuel, commonly found in sedimentary rock, that comes from decayed plants and is used for heating, industrial purposes, and generating electricity
What is metamorphic rock?
rock produced by metamorphism of an igneous or sedimentary rock
What is diamond?
a hard, crystalline form of carbon that is the hardest of all known minerals
What is iron?
a practical metal that is strong and abundantly available; the most commonly used metal
What is copper?
a reddish-orange metal that is a good conductor of electricity
What is anthracite coal?
hard, shiny, black coal that is the most expensive to mine
What is bituminous coal?
the most common type of coal, called soft coal, widely used in industry and for power generation
What is sub-bituminous coal?
softer and more crumbly that bituminous coal and widely used for power generation
What is lignite coal?
poor quality coal; often called brown coal
What is a trogloxene?
an animal that visits caves regularly but finds food on the surface; means “cave guest”
What is a troglophile?
an animal that can live entirely either in a cave or above ground; means “cave lover”
What is a troglobiont (troglobite)?
an animal that cannot survive above ground; means “cave dweller”
What are mechanical sediments?
sediments formed when rocks are broken down and carried away by physical mechanisms such as wind, water, or ice
What are chemical sediments?
sediments formed when minerals in a rock are dissolved by water and carried elsewhere where they may crystallise or settle out of solution
What are organic sediments?
sediments formed from dead plants, shells, or animal skeletons
What are foliated rocks?
metamorphic rocks made of layers like the pages of a book
What are unfoliated rocks?
metamorphic rocks not made of thin layers
