Chapter 8 Rocks And Mining Flashcards
What are agents of erosion?
Factors that cause erosion Some examples are: -water -wind -gravity -ice
Asthenosphere
The top layer of the mantle, composed of ‘plastic’ rock
Biogenic sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock formed mainly from dead organisms
Biological weathering
Living things and their products breaking down rock
What is cement?
Natural chemicals found in water that can bind sediments together
What is chemical sedimentary rock?
Sedimentary rock that forms when dissolved materials precipitate from solution
What is chemical weathering?
Water, or chemicals in water or air, reacting and breaking down rock
What is clastic sedimentary rock?
Sedimentary rock formed mainly from small rock particles
What is contact metamorphism ?
A type of metamorphism where rock is altered mostly by heat
What is the core?
The innermost layer of the earth
What is the crust?
The outermost layer of the earth, composed of solid rock
What is deposition?
The settling of broken rock material to form sediments
What is dynamic metamorphism?
A type of metamorphism where rock is altered mostly by pressure
What is electrolysis?
Use of an electric current to extract minerals from solution
What is erosion?
Removal of weathered rock particles from the site of the weathering
What is extraction?
The chemical process of separating metals from the compounds in which they occur
What is extrusive igneous rock ?
Igneous rock that forms on the surface of the earth
What are felsic?
Light coloured rocks
What is foliation?
A process where minerals under pressure realign and the rock develops layers or bands
What is a force?
Any interaction that will change the motion of an object when unopposed. For example a push or a pull
What are fossils?
The preserved remains of living organisms
What is froth flotation?
A process for extracting material from water (and chemicals) by producing air bubbles which the material sticks to and floats
What is geology?
The study of rocks, their history and the processes that form and change them
What are hydrothermal fluids?
Superheated fluids that circulate through the earths crust, picking up minerals such as gold
What is igneous rock?
Rock formed from cooling magma or lava
What are interlocking mineral crystals?
Crystals that lock together and grow into each other in a rock
What is intrusive igneous rock?
Igneous rock that forms below the surface of the earth
What is lava?
Molten rock that reaches the Earth‘s surface
What are mafic?
Dark coloured rocks
What is magma?
Molten rock that does not reach the earth’s surface
What is the mantle?
A layer of the earth that is below the crust
What is metamorphic rock?
Rock formed when temperature and/or pressure alter existing rock
What is a mineral?
A naturally occurring solid substance that is inorganic, has a characteristic crystalline structure and a fairly constant chemical composition
What a mineral resources?
Minerals that are dug up and used
What is a native metal?
A metal found as a pure element
What is an Ore mineral?
A Valuable mineral found in rocks
What is physical weathering?
The breaking down of rocks by physical processes
What is pressure?
Physical force exerted on or against a rock unit, measured as force per unit area
What is regional metamorphism?
A type of metamorphism where rock is altered by both heat and pressure over a wide area
What is the rock cycle?
A model geologists use to explain the endless cycle of change that rocks undergo.
What is sedimentary rock?
Rock made by sediments being cemented together
What is smelting?
Extracting metal from its ore by melting it, pouring it and allowing it to cool
What are strata?
Layers of sedimentary rock
What are tailings?
Waste materials from a mine or mineral processing plant
What are tectonic plates?
Massive plates that make up the earths crust
What is weathering?
The physical chemical and biological processes that break down rocks into smaller pieces
