Lithosphere Flashcards
(102 cards)
What parts of the Earth consist of the lithosphere?
Solid crust and upper mantle
What does the lithosphere include?
Rocks, mineral resources and soils that provide environmental resources
What are the major uses of iron?
Ships, road vehicles, rail track bridges, cookers, fridges and washing machines
What are the major uses of aluminium?
Packaging foil and vehicles window frames
What are the major uses of copper?
Electric cables and water pipes
What are the major uses of zinc?
Galvanising, batteries and alloys (brass)
What are the major uses of titanium?
White pigments in paint, paper and plastics and aircraft/ spacecraft
What are the major uses of tin?
Solder, rust prevention and glass manufacture
What are the major uses of cadmium?
Rechargeable batteries
What are the major uses of platinum?
Vehicle catalytic converters and catalyst in the chemical industry
What are the major uses of aggregates (sand and gravel)?
Concrete, building mortar, glass
What are the major uses of limestone?
Cement, crushed for road surfacing and rail track ballast, building blocks
What are the major uses of salt?
Source of chlorine for manufacture of paper, plastic and water sterilisation, the de-icing of roads and food additives
What are the major uses of sulphur?
Sulphuric acid manufacture to make phosphate fertilisers and pest control
What is the total mass of minerals extracted per year?
55 billion tonnes
What are the three types of rock?
Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
How are igneous rocks formed?
From the cooling and hardening of molten lava or magma
What are igneous intrusions?
Rocks formed from magma that cools and solidifies within the Earth’s crust
What conditions do igneous intrusions cause?
Pressurised, superheated water at high temperatures that dissolves many minerals from the surrounding rocks
What happens to mineral rich solutions from igneous intrusions?
They travel along fissures away from the igneous batholith, cooling as they do so, minerals crystallise in order of solubility
What are hydrothermal depositions?
Mineral deposits formed from fractional crystallisation of minerals in water
What ores are deposited by hydrothermal processes?
Tin, copper, lead, silver, gold and arsenic
How are metamorphic rocks formed?
High temperatures and pressures, without melting, caused by tectonic movement of crustal plates
What is sedimentary rock?
Layers of mineral build-up producing deposited sediment