Rocks and Minerals Flashcards
Crust
Thinnest layer of earth’s interior
How deep is the oceanic Crust
5-6 miles deep
How wide is the continental crust
15-20 miles
What is the MoHo
the transition zone between the crust and mantle
Mantle
Thickest layer
Lithosphere
includes crust and top of the mantle; solid rock
Asthenosphere
upper mantle; liquid rocks
What kind of plates reside in the Asthenospehere
Lithospheric plates
Mesophere
Lower mantle
Outer Core?
Liquid rock
Inner Core
Solid and Dense
What is the radius of the earth
4,000 miles
How long is the continental crust
15-20 miles
How long is the lithosphere
50 miles
How long is the Asthenophere
200 miles
How many chemical elements bond to form compounds
90
How many known minerals are there
4,000
How many minerals make up 95% of all rocks
20
What are the four things minerals must do
1) Be found in nature
2) be composed of inorganic materials
3) maintain the same chemical composition
4) have atoms form crystals
How are igneous rocks formed
Formed by the cooling and solidification of molten (liquid) rock
How are sedimentary rocks formed
formed of sediment that is consolidated by the combination of pressure and cementation
How are metamorphic rocks formed
rocks that was originally igneous or sedimentary but has been drastically changed by massive heat or pressure from the earth
Where are ore deposits from
individual minerals that are extracted
Where are metallic ores deposited
in the crust where litospheric plates move
How do ore deposits form
when molten rock cools
Weathering
concentrates minerals in the soil
5 abundant Metallic Minerals
Iron, Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium, Manganese
6 scarce metallic minerals
Copper, Lead, Zinc, Nickel, Gold, Silver
Non-metallic minerals used as building materials
Stone, Sand, Gravel, Cement, Plaster
Non-metallic minerals used in fertilizer and chemical products
Halite, Sulfur
What do you use solution or placer mining for?
Problems
What is Open pit mining
removal of materials like stone, sand and gravel by digging them out of earths surface and leaving a large pit
What is Strip Mining
cutting a series of shelves or terraces on the side of a hill to remove minerals
What minerals is subsurface mining used for?
Gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, diamonds, and coal
How can we reduce the amount of mineral extractions?
1) Conserve minerals
2) Recycle
3) Substitute new materials for the minerals
