rock and mineral Flashcards
SCIENCE and SILENCE
Mineral
a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.
Rock
the solid mineral material forming part of the surface of the earth and other similar planets, exposed on the surface or underlying the soil or oceans.
Element
a part or aspect of something abstract, especially one that is essential or characteristic.
Compound
a thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture.
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions.
Color
the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light.
Luster
a gentle sheen or soft glow, especially that of a partly reflective surface.
Streak
a long, thin line or mark of a different substance or color from its surroundings.
Cleavage
a sharp division; a split.
Fracture
the cracking or breaking of a hard object or material.
Density
the degree of compactness of a substance.
ore
a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted.
Metallic minerals
Minerals with a high specific gravity and metallic luster, such as titanium, rutile, tungsten, uranium, tin, lead, iron, etc.
Non-metallic minerals
Non-metallic mineral reserves consist of stone quarries and clay and sand pits; chemical and fertilizer mineral deposits; salt deposits; deposits of quartz, gypsum, natural gem stones, asphalt and bitumen, peat and other non-metallic minerals other than coal and petroleum.
Gemstones
a precious or semiprecious stone, especially one cut, polished, and used in a piece of jewelry.
