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Rocks Flashcards

1
Q

Name the three types of rock in the Earth’s crust

A

igneous
sedimentary
metamorphic

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2
Q

How are igneous rocks formed?

A

By the cooling of molten materials or magma (lava from volcanoes)

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3
Q

How are igneous rocks classified?

A

They are classified based on chemical composition and crystal size. Coarse crystals cooled slowly deep in the earth and finely crystalline rocks cooled quickly. The chemical composition is approximated by color.

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4
Q

What is the difference between light and dark igneous rocks?

A

Light rocks - felsic minerals (feldspar and silica-rich minerals)
Dark rocks - more dense, mafic minerals (magnesium and iron rich minerals)

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5
Q

Sedimentary rock

A

Rocks formed by the deposition and compaction of sediments

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6
Q

Metamorphic Rock

A

Sedimentary and igneous rocks that have changed their form from heat, pressure, and/or chemical change

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7
Q

Name five common minerals in rocks

A 
Quartz
Feldspar
Mica
Calcite
Hornblende
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8
Q

Magma

A

Molten rock inside the earth (including dissolved gases and crystal)

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9
Q

Lava

A

Molten rock (originally magma) that has emerged from the surface of the Earth, often from a volcano. Similar to magma except that most of the gaseous component has escaped

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10
Q

Rocks that cooled slowly are ____ grained and have ____ crystals

A

coarse-granined, large

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11
Q

Rocks that cooled quickly are ___ grained and have ___ crystals

A

fine grained, small crystals

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12
Q

Granite is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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13
Q

List three basic characteristics of granite

A

color - light grey, pink
minerals - potassium feldspar, mica, quartz hornblende
continents are composed of granite

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14
Q

Feldspar is a type of ___

A

common igneous rock-forming material

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15
Q

List three basic characteristics of feldspar

A

main ingredient of granite
weathers easily
breaks down into fine-grained, clay-sized particles

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16
Q

Obsidian is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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17
Q

List 3 basic characteristics of obsidian

A

formed from rapidly cooling molten rock, usually dark brown or red, glassy because no crystals had time to form

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18
Q

Pumice is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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19
Q

List four basic characteristics of pumice

A

formed from gases escaping from cooling lava; light and spongy looking; floats on water; used in scouring powders

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20
Q

Pegmatite is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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21
Q

List two basic characteristics of pegmatite

A

similar to granite with a very coarse texture; emeralds and rubies found in it

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22
Q

Basalt is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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23
Q

List 3 basic characteristics of basalt

A
  1. contains dark green (iron and MG rich) or black colored minerals (augite, hornblende)
  2. smooth texture, small crystals
  3. makes up the ocean crust
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24
Q

Describe paleomagnetism of basalts

A

Because the mineral composition of basalts contains lots of iron, they record the Earth’s magnetic field vectors at the time of cooling/crystallization. The ocean crust records the changes in the Earth’s magnetic field

25
Q

Diabase is a type of ___

A

igneous rock

26
Q

List two basic characteristics of diabase

A 
Dark color (black or green)
Coarse texture
27
Q

Gabbro is a type of ___

A

Igneous rock

28
Q

List two basic characteristics of gabbro

A

The most coarse-grain of the dark-colored igneous rocks

Minerals present: dark feldspars, hornblende, olivine

29
Q

List three main sources of particles in sedimentary rock

A
  1. water and ice weathering igneous rock
  2. water dissolving minerals in rock
  3. organic particles like shells and bone
30
Q

Place the following in order from largest to smallest size particle: silt, gravel, clay, pebbles, boulders, sand

A 
Boulders
Pebbles
Gravel
Sand
Silt
Clay
31
Q

List three basic types of sedimentary rock

A

Limestone
Sandstone
Shale

32
Q

Sandstone is a type of ___

A

Sedimentary rock

33
Q

List 5 basic characteristics of sandstone

A
  1. Consists mainly of sand-sized grains (commonly quartz)
  2. Can transmit water
  3. Colors: usually light or reddish
  4. Natural cements (silica, lime) hold grains together
  5. Deposited usually by rivers or in shallow seawater
34
Q

Shale is a type of ____

A

sedimentary rock

35
Q

4 basic characteristics of shale

A
  1. composed of fine particles of clay and silt
  2. forms in quiet water; shallow or deep
  3. splits and crumbles easily
  4. often forms a barrier to water movement

uses: bricks, cement

36
Q

Conglomerate is a type of ____

A

sedimentary rock

37
Q

Conglomerate is made of ____

A

pebble and boulder-sized rounded rock fragments cemented together

38
Q

Limestone is a type of ___

A

sedimentary rock

39
Q

4 basic characteristics of limestone

A
  1. made of calcium carbonate
  2. formed by precipitation from sea water
  3. identified by acid test: bubbles appear when hydrochloric acid is dropped on it
  4. used to make cement
40
Q

Gypsum is a type of ___

A

sedimentary rock

41
Q

4 basic characteristics of gypsum

A
  1. chemical name: calcium sulfate
  2. use: plaster of paris
  3. dissolves in water
  4. formed when oceans dried up and minerals were precipitated
42
Q

Organic limestone is a type of ____

A

Organic sedimentary rock

43
Q

3 basic characteristics and types of organic limestone

A

Shells of clams, snails, corals, etc. that accumulated on the sea floor; made primarily from organisms that lived in sea water

Three basic types: coral limestone, chalk, coquina

44
Q

Coquina is a type of ____

A

organic sedimentary rock

45
Q

Coquina is made of ____

A

loosely cemented bits of shells and coral; usually forms along shorelines

46
Q

Chalk is a type of

A

organic sedimentary rock

47
Q

Chalk is made of ___

A

tiny calcite shells from organisms that lived and died in the seawater; present in chalk beds thousands of feet thick (like the White Cliffs of Dover)

48
Q

Coral limestone is a type of _____

A

organic sedimentary rock

49
Q

Coral limestone is made of ___

A

the skeletons of coral cemented together by silica or lime present in ocean water; large masses form coral reefs

50
Q

Coal is a type of ___

A

organic sedimentary rock

51
Q

Coal is made of ___

A

the remains of dead plants that accumulate in swamps and are compacted along with rocks to form coal; primarily made of carbon

52
Q

4 stages of coal formation

A
  1. Peat - plant remains loosely packed
  2. Lignite - compressed peat; brown coal
  3. Bituminous - blacker than lignite with higher carbon content
  4. Anthracite - hard coal formed from heat and pressure applied to bituminous coal; very high carbon content
53
Q

How are oil and natural gas formed?

A

The remains of plants and tiny animals over millions of years settled in sea and swamp bottoms. Heat and pressure from burial under rock layers created oil and gas from consituent carbon atoms

54
Q

Foliated and unfoliated rocks are two basic types of ____

A

Metamorphic rock

55
Q

Describe foliated metamorphic rock

A

rocks are striped due to compressed bands of materials

56
Q

Describe unfoliated metamorphic rock

A

Metamorphic rock without visible layers

57
Q

List and describe the three basic types of foliated metamorphic rock

A

Slate: splits into thin plates, used on roofs and chalkboards, black red or blue
Schist: metamorphosed shale, basalt or slate; thin flakes; contains mica; fragile
Gneiss: formed from compressed and heated granite or conglomerate; thick bands alternating light and dark, used for building and will not break along banding

58
Q

List and describe the three basic types of unfoliated metamorphic rock

A

Quartzite: metamorphosed sandstone; hard and dense; breaks along grains
Anthracite: metamorphosed bituminous coal
Marbe: Metamorphosed limestone; hard and crystalline; coarse grain; many colors and streaks; used in sculptures; reacts to Hydrochloric Acid like its parent

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