Topic 9-Rocks Flashcards
Minerals
Substances that make up rocks.
Lithosphere
The rigid outer layer of the earth that involve the crust and mantle
Magma
A very hot mixture of rocks and gases.
Native elements
Elements found uncombined in the earths crust.
Crystal
Shaped substances made up of atoms and molecules that are arranged in a highly ordered structure.
Lustre
Appearance of an mineral caused by the way it reflects light.
Streak
A mark left by a mineral when it is scraped hard across a hard surface.
Hardness
The measure of how difficult it is to scratch the surface of a solid material .
Sediments
Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
Ingenious rocks
Rocks that form from the cooling of lava and magna
Extrusive rocks
Igneous rocks formed when lava cools above the earths surface
Pumice
Pale rocks that form when frothy lava cools in the air
Scoria
A dark igneous rock formed from gassy lava that cools quickly.
Abrasive
A material or substance that easily scratches another
Basalt
Dark igneous rock with small crystals formed by the fast cooling of lava
Obsidian
A smooth black rock that looks like glass and is formed when lava cools almost instantly
Intrusive rocks
Igneous rock that forms when magma cools below the earths surface
Batholiths
Intrusive rock mass that measures more than 100 kilometres across
Granite
Hard, igneous rock with different coloured crystals. It forms slowly below the earths surface
Sedimentary rocks
Rocks that are formed from the particles of sediments.
Metamorphic rocks
A rock formed from another rock that has been under great heat or pressure.
Erosion
The wearing away of soil and rock by natural elements such as wind, waves, Rivers, ice and by human activity.
Floodplains
Flat, open land beside a river where sediments are deposited during floods
Glaciers
Large Bodies of ice that move down slopes and push boulders, rocks and gravel in front of them.
Moraines
Deposit left by movement of a glacier.
Sandstone
A sedimentary rock with medium sized grains.
Mudstone
A fine - grained, sedimentary rock without layering
Shale
A fine - grained sedimentary rock formed from mud and clay which can be split easily.
Siltstone
A sedimentary rock with a partial size of that of sandstone and mudstone.
Conglomerate
A sedimentary rock containing large practicals of various sizes cemented together
Limestone
A sedimentary rock formed from the remains of sea organisms
Coal
A sedimentary rock formed from plants and animals
Rock salt
A sedimentary rock formed when a salt lake or seabed dries up. It’s main chemical is sodium chloride.
Metamorphism
The process that changes rocks by extreme pressure or heat. (Or both)
Slate
A fine - grained metamorphic rock formed as a result of moderate heat and pressure on shale
Gneiss
A metaphoric rock formed mainly as a result on granite
Mineral Ores
A type of rock that is mined to collect the minerals inside of it.
Mining
Extraction of natural resources from earth
Environmental impact statement
Study of the possible effects of a planed project on the environment
Rehabilitated
Restored to its previous condition
Overburden
Waste rock removed from below the topsoil. The rock is replaced when the area is restored
Open-cut mining
Mining that takes place on the surface of land
Underground mining
Mining that takes place deep below the earths surface
Stone Age
The time begging over two million years ago during which early humans made implements of stone
Alloy
A mixture of a metal with a non-metal or another metal
Flint
A fine-grained sedimentary rock which leaves a very sharp edge when broken
Percussion flaking
A process in which tool stones were struck with harder stones to shed large flakes that could be used to make small tools
Fossil
Any remains or trace of an animal or plant. Evidence of life in the past.
Palaeontologists
A scientist who study’s fossils
Folding
The buckling of rocks. It is caused when are under pressure from both sides.
Relative age
The age of a rock compared with another rock.
Mould
A type of fungi
Trace fossils
Fossils that provide evidence such as footprints that an organism was present when the rock was formed
Extinct
A volcano that has not erupted in recorded history
Carnivores
Animals that eat over animals
Scavengers
Animals that eat dead plant or animal material
