General knowledge Flashcards
What is plate tectonics?
The way Earth transports energy (heat)
nucleosynthesis
process of forming new elements via nuclear fusion
H (1) to Fe (26)
Age of solar system
4.64 billion years
Age of earth
4.56 billion years
heavy elements form how?
Supernova
Age of the universe
13.7 billion years
Upper mantle composition
60% olivine
30% pyroxene
10% garnet
Earth’s crust
bimodal: oceanic, continental
quartz,amphiboles,feldspars
Ca, Al, Na, Si, Mg, Fe, Si, Al, K
< .5% of Earth’s mass
mineral definition
naturally occuring
homogeneous (single phase)
crystalline
definte (but generally not fixed) chemical composition
inorganic
ways to classify a mineral
(chemical) composition
structure
physical properties
euhedral texture
shape of phenocryst is perfect - good planes
subhedral texture
shape of phenocryst is less than planar
(can see some shape, maybe)
anhedral texture
shape of phenocryst is completely irregular
heat sources for rock production
primordal (collected during accrection of the earth) - core
radiogenic decay (crust)
rock factories
mid-ocean ridges (melt)
mantle plume/hot spot (melt0
subduction zone (partial melt)
continental collision zones (metamorphism)
hexagonal close packing
HCP: ABABAB
B is centered in divets from A, creating two repeating rows
looks like an hourglass
(Hexagonal - Hourglass)
face centered cubic packing
FCC: ABCABCABC
A = bottom left corner of face
B = center face
C = upper right corner of face
repeating pattern for cube on top of that cube
Radius ratio
radius of cations/radius of anions
anions (large) close packed
cations (small) tetrahedral or octahedral voids (BCC)
relationship between RR and CN
smaller the radius ratio, the smaller the coordination number