EXAM ONE Flashcards
Mantle
Ultramafic rock composition, Oxygen, Magnesium, and Silicon
Lithosphere
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Seismic Waves
When a material breaks due to stress, energy is released in waves that travels through the material
Tranform plate boundary
Plates that slide past each other without creating or destroying crust (Lithosphere)
This leads to earthquakes of connects other types of plate boundaries
Physical properties of minerals
Streak = color of a powdered mineral
Luster = the appearance of light reflected off of the mineral
Hardness = resistance to abrasion
Specific gravity = dimensionless measure of density calculated by ratio of density of mineral to that of water
Cleavage: geometrical shape when cut
Crystal Habit = shape (geometric or otherwise) of a mineral crystal or aggregate of minerals
Cleavage
breaking along a particular geometric plane
7 major groups of non-silicate minerals and the type of anion in each
- Native Elements-gold, copper
- Carbonates- calcite, dolomite:
Building stone, cement production, acid neutralizers - Sulfates- gypsum, Anhydrite:
Used to make plaster and drywall - Sulfides
- Halites
- Oxides
- Phosphates- Apatite:
Found in the skeletons of all vertebrate organisms. Phosphate rock is used to produce all synthetic fertilizers
Felsic material
Lower density
Rocks with the most silica are called…
Felsic
Rocks with a medium amount of silica are called…
Intermediate
Rocks with 45-55% silica are called…
Mafic
Rocks with the least amount of silica are called…
Ultramafic
Mafic material
Higher density
Intrusive Igneous Rocks
Rocks that are created deep in the Earth
Extrusive Igneous Rocks
Small rocks that are created from exploding volcanoes, and cooled very fast
Intrusive Rocks
Bigger in size (slow cooling)
Extrusive Rocks
Smaller in size (fast cooling)
The main layers of the Earth in correct order, from the surface moving down, are:
crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
Which layer in the earth is similar in composition to basalt, a dark lava rock?
Oceanic Crust
Which layer in the earth is similar to the green mineral olivine?
Mantle
Which of the following Earth layers is the thickest?
Mantle
Tectonics is the study of:
the origin and arrangement of the broad structural features of Earth’s surface
Broad symmetrical ridges that cross ocean basins are called:
Mid-Ocean Ridges
Harry Hess and Robert Dietz proposed that the oceanic crust in the Atlantic Ocean was spreading apart at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and that this process moved the continents apart from one another. They called this process:
Sea-floor Spreading
Mid-ocean ridges are higher than surrounding oceanic crust primarily because:
the lithosphere is thinner and hotter
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of crystals and clasts evaluated to classify a rock?
crystal/clast density
Which of the following are tests we can quickly and easily perform (even in the field) to help us identify a mineral?
All of these (Streak, hardness, magnetism, effervescence)
A mineral is light colored, transparent, has a hardness of seven, and fractures rather than cleaves. What minerals is it?
Quartz
Which layer of the Earth is liquid?
Outer Core
What feature is associated with crustal divergence?
Mid-Ocean Ridge
Other than midocean ridges, where on Earth is the best example of current (active) rifting?
East-Africa
According to the Wilson Cycle, what feature or process is most likely to occur after collision and formation of a supercontinent?
Rifting
What happens to the crust as you move towards the mid-ocean ridge?
It gets younger
What is the chemical formula of the silica tetrahedra, the building block of all silicate minerals?
SiO4
Where do igneous rocks with a coarse-grained (phaneritic) texture form:
Deep beneath the surface
Examine Bowen’s Reaction Series diagram. As a felsic magma cools, which mineral would be the last to crystallize?
Quartz
Ultramafic is located…
Right below the surface
Mafic is located…
Below Ultramafic
Intermediate is located…
Below Mafic
Felsic is located…
Deep inside the Earth
If volatiles such as water vapor and carbon dioxide are added to a rock, what will happen to the melting temperature?
The melting temperature of a rock will decrease.
What is the process by which decompression melting produces magma at divergent plate boundaries?
reduction of pressure at a constant temperature
Three Boundary Types
Transform, Divergent, Convergent
Tectonic Plates are part of what sphere?
Lithosphere
Native Elements
Minerals only made up of one element
