Rocks and Minerals Flashcards
The tendency if a mineral to split along specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces.
Cleavage
A solid whose atoms, ions or molecules are arranged in a regular , repeating pattern.
Crystal
The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance. D= M/V
Density
The strength of the bonds between atoms that make up the mineral.
Hardness
Not made up of living things or remains of living things.
Inorganic
A mineral that does not contain compounds of silicon and oxygen.
Nonsilicate mineral
A mineral that contains a combination of silicon and oxygen and that may also contain 1 or more minerals.
Silicate mineral
The color of a mineral in powdered form.
Streak
The standard scale against which hardness of a minerals is rated.
Mohs Hardness Scale
Rock fragments carried away by water, wind or ice.
Clastic sedimentary rock
The amount of matter that makes up a substance.
Mass
The gravitational force that is exerted on an object.
Weight
The amount of space that a substance or object occupies.
Volume
“Deep rock” Form the core of many mountain ranges. Cover at least 100 km-squared.
Batholith
The process in which mineral precipitate into pore spaces between sediment grains and bind sediments together to form rocks.
Cementation
Sedimentary rock that forms when minerals precipitate from a solutions or settle from a suspension.
Chemical sedimentary rock
Clastic sedimentary rock composed of angular fragments and have sharp corners.
Breccia
The process in which the volume and porosity of a sediment is decreased by the weight of overlying sediments as a result of burial beneath other sediments.
Compaction
Rock that forms from the cooling and solidification of lava at the Earth’s surface.
Extrusive Igneous rocks
Rock that forms when magma cools and solidifies.
Igneous rock
Rock formed from the cooling and solidification of magma beneath the Earth’s surface.
Intrusive igneous rock
Lumps of rock that have a composition that is different from than of the main rock body.
Concretion
Clastic sedimentary rock composed of rounded fragments.
Conglomerate
A change in the texture, structure or chemical composition of a rock due to contact with magma.
Contact metaphorphism
Rocks formed when minerals are left behind when water evaporates.
Evaporites
The remains or traces of ancients plants and animals.
Fossil
Forms from existing igneousor sedimentary; Found deep within the Earth’s crust.
Metamorphic rock
The process in which one type of rock changes into metamorphic rock because of changes in temperature and pressure.
Metamorphism
A change in the texture, structure of chemical composition of a rock due to changes in temperature and pressure over a large area. Generally as a result of tectonic forces.
Regional metamorphism
Layering of sedimentary rock
Stratification
The metamorphic rock texture in which mineral grains are not arranged in planes or bands.
Nonfoliated
Igneous rock that has a mixture of large and small crystals.
Porpyry
Rock changes from one form to another.
Rock cycle
Light that is reflected from a mineral’s surface
Luster
A person who examines, analyzes and classifies minerals.
Mineralogist
From sediment deposits that is compressed or cemented together.
Sedimentary rock
The metamorphic rock texture in which mineral grains are arranged in planes or bands.
Foliated
Loose fragments of rock, minerals and organic material that result from natural processes including physical breakdown of rocks
Sediment
Sedimentary rock that forms from the remains of plants and animals.
Organic Sedimentary rock
A naturally, usually inorganic solid that has a characteristic chemical composition, an orderly internal structure and a characteristic set of physical properties
Mineral
