Geolegy Flashcards
Igneous
Rocks that from the cooling magma or lava when it is flying through the air.
Lava
Magma that has reached the surface of a volcano
Magma
Liquid rock that has not reached the surface
Extrusive
igneous rock that forms when lava cools above the Earth’s surface
Intrusive
igneous rock that forms when magma cools below the Earth’s surface
Mineral
A solid, naturally occurring inorganic substance
lithosphere
The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Asthenosphere
The upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere.
Crystal
A piece of a homogeneous solid substance
Sedimentary Rocks
Rocks formed from sediments deposited by water, wind or ice. The sediments are cemented together in layers, under pressure
Erosion
The wearing away and removal of soil and rock by natural elements, such as wind, waves, rivers and ice, and human activity
Floodplains
Flat, open land beside a river where sediments are deposited during floods
Glaciers
Large bodies of ice that move down slopes and push boulders, rocks and gravel in front of them
Moraines
Deposit left by movement of a glacier
Sandstone
A sedimentary rock with medium-sized grains. The sand grains are cemented together by silica, lime or other salts
Mudstone
A fine-grained, sedimentary rock without layering
Shale
A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed in layers by the consolidation of clay
Slitstone
A sedimentary rock with a particle size between that of sandstone and mudstone
Conglomerate
Sedimentary rock containing large particles of various sizes cemented together
Limestone
A sedimentary rock formed from the remains of sea organisms. It consists mainly of calcium carbonate.
Coal
A sedimentary rock formed from dead plants and animals that were buried before rotting completely
Rock Salt
A sedimentary deposit formed when a salt lake or seabed dried up. Its main chemical is sodium chloride.
Metamorphic Rocks
A metamorphic rock is a type of rock which has been changed by extreme heat and pressure
Metamorphism
Alteration of the composition or structure of a rock by heat, pressure, or other natural agency
Mineral ores
Rocks mined to obtain a metal or other chemical within them
Mining
Extraction of natural resources from the Earth
Environmental impact statement (EIS)
Study of the possible effects of a planned project on the environment
Rehabilitated
Restored to its previous condition
Overburden
Waste rock removed from below the topsoil. This rock is replaced when the area is restored.
Open-cut mining
mining that scours out soil and rocks on the surface of the land
Underground mining
Mining that uses shafts and tunnels to remove rock from deep below the surface
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make implements with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture of metals or a mixture of a metal and another element.
Flint
A hard grey rock consisting of nearly pure silica, occurring chiefly as nodules in chalk.
Percussion flaking
The shaping of a stone implement by striking or chipping off flakes with another stone or a piece of wood, bone, or antler
Fossil
Any remains, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of a former geological age; evidence of life in the past
Folding
The buckling of rocks. It is caused when rocks are under pressure from both sides.
Paleontologist
A scientist who studies fossils
Relative Age
The age of a rock compared with the age of another rock
Carnivors
Animal that eats other animals
Mould
Cavity in a rock that shows the shape of the hard parts of an organism; types of fungi found growing on the surface of foods
Extinct Volcanos
Describes volcanoes that are no longer active. Extinct volcanoes have not erupted for thousands of years and show no sign of future eruption.
Trace Fossils
Fossils that provide evidence, such as footprints, that an organism was present when the rock was formed
