Rocks and Minerals Terms

Question 1

Alloy

Answer 1

A metal that is a combination of two or more metals, which often makes the metal stronger

Question 2

Bedrock

Answer 2

the solid rock underneath loose rocks; the lowest of the 3 layers of soil

Question 3

crystal

Answer 3

A mineral that forms in regular, tight patterns

Question 4

deposit

Answer 4

to set down one or more layers of material in a new place

Question 5

elements

Answer 5

pure substances; the building blocks of everything on earth

Question 6

erosion

Answer 6

The process of transporting and wearing away rocks or soil as loose particles are moved by water, wind, ice or gravity

Question 7

fossil

Answer 7

the remains of a plant or animal that turns to stone over a long period of time

Question 8

igneous rock

Answer 8

rock formed by the cooling and hardening of hot magma or lava

Question 9

inorganic

Answer 9

not having to do or coming from living organisms

Question 10

lava

Answer 10

melted, liquid rock that reaches earths surface

Question 11

magma

Answer 11

melted, liquid rock beneath earth’s surface

Question 12

Matter

Answer 12

Anything that takes up space and has weight

Question 13

metal

Answer 13

A material, usually hard and shiny, that allows electricity and heat to move through it

Question 14

metamorphic rock

Answer 14

rock formed when any type of rock goes through changes caused by extreme heat and pressure

Question 15

Mine

Answer 15

To take minerals from the ground by digging or blasting

Question 16

mineral

Answer 16

A solid, natural material that does not come from a living thing

Question 17

refine

Answer 17

To remove unwanted materials from a substance

Question 18

resources

Answer 18

supplies of things that are valuable or very useful to people

Question 19

rock cycle

Answer 19

the series of changes that rock undergoes as it shifts between different types

Question 20

sedimentary rock

Answer 20

rock formed when sediment is pressed together over time

Question 21

soil

Answer 21

the top layer of the ground, in which plants grow

Question 22

subsoil

Answer 22

the middle layer of soil, which contains more rocks that topsoil

Question 23

weathering

Answer 23

The process of wearing away or otherwise changing Earth’s surface, caused by natural forces