Geology test review Flashcards
All of the air/gases surrounding Earth is the
Atmosphere
The early idea in science that said Earth was young/shaped by drastic events
Catastrophism
A volcano that is erupting frequently
Active
The hardest naturally occurring mineral
Diamond
Uneven breaking of a mineral due to its atomic structure
Fracture
The mineral you could be writing with
Graphite
All of Earth’s water
Hydrosphere
The way light reflects from the surface of a mineral
Luster
The most abundant gas coming out of a volcano
Steam/water vapor
Molten rock that is extruding onto the surface
Lava
The study of ancient life preserved in rocks
Paleontology
One of the minerals that can be called “fools gold”
Pyrite
Where parts of Earth’s system interact
Interface
The second most plentiful element in Earth’s crust
Silicon
Careful use of resources from Earth while protecting the environment at the same time is called _______ development
Sustainable
The smallest particle of an element
Atom
When a mineral breaks along smooth planes of weakness exhibits
Cleavage
The geometric shape of a mineral, perfect ones are rare
Crystal
Simplest form of matter -> 92 make up minerals
Elements
Any mineral that is hard, rare, beautiful, and can be cut and polished
Gem
The mineral for salt
Halite
Type of rock formed when molten rock cools
Igneous
A rock is defined as being an ________ of minerals
Aggregate
Any mineral mined for profit
Ore
Type of rock formed when any rock is changed by heat and/or pressure
Metamorphic
The study area in geology focused on processes, rocks, etc.
Physical Geology
The most common mineral in Earth’s crust
Quartz SiO2
Type of rock formed when weathered rock material is turned to stone
Sedimentary
Our use of natural resources directly affects our ____ of living
Standard
The idea in science today that explain that earth is old and changing slowly
Uniformitarianism
All life in Earth is the
Biosphere
When elements are combined chemically
Compound
Weathered rock + humus + water + air =
Soil
The largest group of silicate minerals with many varieties
Feldspars
Another name for the lithosphere
Geosphere
Study of area focusing on time and the story in the rocks
Historical geology
A well-developed soil that has formed in place, reflecting the bedrock
Residual
The study of minerals is called
Mineralogy
A ______ is the smallest particle of any compound
Molecule
Makes up about 47% of Earth’s crust
Oxygen
“The _______ is the key to the past”
Present
Deposits of any natural resource that have been identified are known as
Reserves
The most abundant group of minerals
Silicates
A mineral in the nudge = showing its true color
Streak
When determining the specific gravity of a mineral its density is compared to that of
Water
Tiny shards of glass blown from a volcanic eruption
Ash
Metamorphic rock made mostly of micas, it’s a piece of…
Schist
Type of bonding that is strong, created by sharing electrons
Covalent
Organic sedimentary “rock” that has its origins in a swamp
Coal
Concordant intrusion with a tabular nature
Sill
Eruptive style of composite volcanos
Explosive
Mechanical weathering when water gets into fractures in rocks
Frost-wedging
A volcano that has not erupted for a while, but still could
Dormant
The most important factor controlling chemical weather/soil formation
Climate
Frothy igneous rock that will float on water “grinding away” skin
Pumice
Hawaiian lava term for a ropy surface
Pahoehoe
A tabular discordant intrusion
Dike
Molten rock in the ground
Magma
The most common sedimentary rock
Shale
Breakdown of rock by shape and size, not composition
Mechanical
The most common rock in the Shenandoah Valley, made mostly of calcite
Limestone
When magma cools in the ground a pluton/ _____ is formed
Intrusion
An igneous texture formed by 2 stages of cooling
Porphyritic
Carbonate mineral that has many industrial uses, fizzes with acid
Calcite
Any evidence of a life form from the past preserved in a rock
Fossil
Eruptive style where magic lava is extruding
Quiet
Chemical weather process where oxygen and water are needed
Oxidation
Bonding that promotes conductivity
Metallic
Volcanic glass formed by supercooling
Obsidian
A mineral’s resistance to being scratched
Hardness
Metamorphic rock whose parent rock was limestone
Marble
Makes up blackboards and pool tables, used to be shale, low grade
Slate
Weathered rock particles of all sizes, dissolved, and organic “junk”
Sediments
Low silica, low viscosity lava composition
Mafic
The most common intrusive igneous rock, makes up continental crust
Granite
Te most common extrusive igneous rock, makes up oceanic crust
Basalt
A long crack in the crust where lava flows out, te mid-ocean ridge
Fissure
The rock beneath the soil
Bedrock
Group of sedimentary rocks made of particles of various sizes
Detrital
Huge intrusion, often in the core of mountain ranges
Batholith
Made of angular sediments that have not travelled very far from their sources
Breccia
The smallest type of volcano, Paricutin is an example
Cinder cone
Overall ______ weathering shapes the landscape
Differential
An extrusion with a centralized vent is a
Volcano
Sedimentary rocks made of pebbles
Conglomerate
When a volcano has not erupted in recorded history and never will again it is
Extinct
Metamorphic texture where differential stress/pressure aligns minerals in bands
Foliated
Atomic bonding that allows cleaving to occur in minerals, e transfer
Ionic
The most dangerous aspect of composite volcanic eruptions
Pyroclastic flow
A thick, well-developed soil with all horizons, supporting plants is said to be:
Mature
