Rock And Minerals Flashcards
A solid inorganic substance.
Minerals
The outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
lithosphere
A very hot mixture of molten rock and gases, just below the Earth’s surface.
Magma
A matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
Sediments
Elements that occur in nature in an uncombined form with a distinct mineral structure
native elements
a solid material that is arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a lattice that extends in all directions.
crystals
a gentle sheen or soft glow
lustre
colour of a mineral, found by rubbing it onto an unglazed white ceramic tile
streak
a measure of how difficult it is to scratch the surface of a solid material.
Hardness
the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents
Erosion
denoting rocks composed of broken pieces of older rocks.
Clastic
relating to chemistry, or the interactions of substances as studied in chemistry.
Chemical
relating to or derived from living matter.
Organic
the remains or impression of a prehistoric plant or animal embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form
Fossils
rocks that form from the cooling of lava or magma as it is thrown through the air from a volcanic eruption
igneous rocks
igneous rock that forms when lava cools above the Earth’s surface
extrusive rocks
a very light and porous volcanic rock formed when a gas-rich froth of glassy lava solidifies rapidly.
pumice
basaltic lava ejected as fragments from a volcano, typically with a frothy texture.
scoria
capable of polishing or cleaning a hard surface by rubbing or grinding
abrasive
A dark fine-grained volcanic rock that sometimes displays a columnar structure, typically composed mainly of plagioclase with pyroxene and olivine.
basalt
a hard, dark, glass-like volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization.
Obsidian
igneous rock that forms when magma cools below the Earth’s surface
intrusive rocks
a very large igneous intrusion extending to an unknown depth in the earth’s crust.
batholiths
a very hard, granular, crystalline, igneous rock consisting mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and often used as a building stone.
granite
rocks formed from sediments deposited by water, wind or ice. The sediments are cemented together in layers, under pressure.
sedimentary rocks
the wearing away and removal of soil and rock by natural elements, such as wind, waves, rivers and ice, and by human activity
erosion
flat, open land beside a river where sediments are deposited during floods
floodplains
large bodies of ice that move down slopes and push boulders, rocks and gravel in front of them
glaciers
the deposit left by the movement of a glacier
moraines
sedimentary rock with medium-sized grains. The sand grains are cemented together by silica, lime or other salts.
sandstone
a fine-grained, sedimentary rock without layering
mudstone
a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed in layers by the consolidation of clay
shale
sedimentary rock with a particle size between that of sandstone and mudstone
siltstone
sedimentary rock containing large particles of various sizes cemented together
conglomerate
alteration of the composition or structure of rock by heat, pressure, or other natural agency.
metamorphism
rock formed from another rock that has been under great heat or pressure
metamorphic rocks
a hard crystalline metamorphic form of limestone, typically white with coloured mottlings or streaks, which may be polished and is used in sculpture and architecture.
marble
a metamorphic rock with a banded or foliated structure, typically coarse-grained and consisting mainly of feldspar, quartz, and mica.
gneiss
an idealized cycle of processes undergone by rocks in the earth’s crust, involving igneous intrusion, uplift, erosion, transportation, deposition as sedimentary rock, metamorphism, and further melting and igneous intrusion.
Rock cycle
rocks mined to obtain a metal or other chemical within them
mineral ores
extraction of natural resources from the Earth
mining
study of the possible effects of a planned project on the environment
environmental impact statement
restored to its previous condition
rehabilitated
waste rock removed from below the topsoil. This rock is replaced when the area is restored.
overburden
mining that scours out soil and rocks on the surface of the land
open-cut mining
mining that uses shafts and tunnels to remove rocks from deep below the surface
underground mining
the time beginning about two million years ago during which early humans made implements of stone
stone age
a mixture of a metal with a non-metal or another metal
alloy
a fine-grained sedimentary rock which leaves a very sharp edge when broken
flint
a process in which tool stones such as flint or obsidian were struck with harder stones, such as quartzite, to shear large flakes that could be used to make small tools
percussion flaking
any remains, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of a former geological age; evidence of life in the past
fossil
the buckling of rocks. It is caused when rocks are under pressure from both sides.
folding
a scientist who studies fossils
palaeontologists
the age of a rock compared with the age of another rock
relative age
an animal that eats other animals
carnivores
animals that eat dead plant and animal material
scavengers
the 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
mould
fossils that provide evidence, such as footprints, that an organism was present when the rock was formed
trace fossils
describes volcanoes that are no longer active. Extinct volcanoes have not erupted for thousands of years and show no sign of a future eruption.
extinct
