Rocks and Mineral Vocab

Question 1

mineral

Answer 1

naturally occurring, usually inorganic solid that has a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure

Question 2

inorganic

Answer 2

something that is not made up of living things or the remains of living things

Question 3

streak

Answer 3

the color of a mineral in powdered form

Question 4

luster

Answer 4

the way in which a mineral reflects light

Question 5

cleavage

Answer 5

the tendency of a mineral to split along specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat, surfaces

Question 6

igneous

Answer 6

the rock that forms when magma or lava cools or solidifies

Question 7

sedimentary

Answer 7

a rock that forms from compressed or cemented layers of sediment

Question 8

metamorphic

Answer 8

a rock that forms from other rocks as a result of intense heat, pressure, or chemical process

Question 9

extrusive igneous

Answer 9

when lava erupts and cools very quickly on or above the Earth’s surface

Question 10

intrusive igneous

Answer 10

when magma does not reach Earth’s surface but cools slowly underneath the surface

Question 11

sediment

Answer 11

rocks that have been broken down into fragments

Question 12

weathering

Answer 12

the natural process by which atmospheric and environmental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes, disintegrate and decompose rock

Question 13

erosion

Answer 13

the process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another

Question 14

organic

Answer 14

living or once living

Question 15

magma

Answer 15

the molten or partially molten rock material containing trapped gases produced under Earth’s surface

Question 16

lava

Answer 16

magma that flows onto Earth’s surface; the rock that forms when lava cools and solidifies

Question 17

rock cycle

Answer 17

formation of rocks through certain processes and existing rocks

Question 18

foliated metamorphic rocks

Answer 18

pressure causes mineral grains in a rock to realign to form parallel bands in the rock

Question 19

nonfoliated metamorphic rocks

Answer 19

metamorphic rocks that do not have the parallel bands, usually made up of one or a few minerals

Question 20

obsidian

Answer 20

black glassy igneous rock (extrusive), called volcanic glass

Question 21

pumice

Answer 21

very light and airy material, floats on water, and is commonly used to file dead skin off of feet

Question 22

talc

Answer 22

soft, greasy, mineral commonly used in powder, also the Vermont state material

Question 23

pyrite

Answer 23

called “fools gold”

Question 24

calcite

Answer 24

a mineral that forms in a perfect cube naturally

Question 25

magnetite

Answer 25

an iron mineral that is a natural magnet