Minerals (earth's surface) Flashcards
Main themes in earth science
Geology
Meteorology
Oceanography
Astronomy
Geosphere - the water cycle
Located below the atmosphere or the oceans
Can be divided into layers based on physical or chemical characteristics
Diagram of earth’s crust, layering by physical properties and chemical composition
Attempts to drill through the crust
Earth’s surface - its two main divisions
Ocean basins (60 percent of the earth’s surface)
Contenants (40)
Continental shelf
Underlain by continental crust
Extension of continent
Continental slope
Boundary between continents and oceans
Extends from outer edge of the continental shelf to the floor of the ocean
Continental rise
Steep continental slope merged into a more gradual made of sediment that moved downslope from the continental shelf
Deep ocean baisins
Abyssal plains
Deep ocean trenches
Seamounts - underwater mountain formed by volcanic action
Mineral
Naturally occurring inorganic solid that passes and orderly crystalline structure and a definite chemical composition that allows for some variation
Most common mineral on earth
Ice
Naturally occurring
From the natural geological processes
Synthetic materials not considered minerals
Inorganic
Not consistent of or derived from living matter
Solid
Liquid water is not a mineral
Solid water is not a mineral
Hydrosphere
Dynamic mass of water that is continually on the move
Intersects with atmosphere and geosphere
Biosphere
Includes all life on Earth
Intersects with the 3 other spheres
Orderly crystalline structure
Liquid water is not a mineral
Solid water is a mineral
