Types of rocks Flashcards
Igneous rocks
A Igneous rock is a type of rock that is made through volcanic activity, whether it be on the surface, in the volcano, or under the surface
Magma
Magma is a hot liquid that lies under the surface or under the lithosphere
Lava
Lava is a hot liquid that comes out due to volcanic activity or cracks in the earth
Intrusive lava
When a volcano erupts not all of the lava reaches the surface and instead, gets trapped in chambers inside the chambers of the volcano, and some of the lava cools down in the volcano
Extrusive lava
When a volcano erupts, extrusive lava is the lava that emerges from the volcano, whether it lands on the surface of the earth or the outer layer of the volcano
Mineral
A naturally occurring inorganic solid made with a specific chemical mixture
Lithosphere
A solid and rigid layer of the earth crust and is made up of many different plates which are the tectonic plates
Asthenosphere
The Asthenosphere is the second layer under the crust, ranging from 50km to 100km thick, at the lower levels can be 400 to 500 degrees, not completely solid, but not liquid yet
Crystal
A clear transparent mineral that resembling ice that is formed underground due to great pressure and heat
Sedimentary Rocks
formed by sediments in the water, wind or ice. cemented together in layers over hundreds of years under pressure
Erosion
The wearing away of soils and rocks by natural elements, such as waves, rivers, ice or human activity
Floodplains
The flat, open land normally beside rivers where in floods, sediments are deposited
Glaciers
Large bodies of ice that move down slopes and push boulders
Moraines
Deposit left over by glaciers
Sandstones
A sedimentary rock that is made of many grains of sand cemented together by salts
Mudstone
A fine-grained, sedimentary rock without layering
Shale
A sedimentary rock formed in layers near clay
Siltstone
A sedimentary rock with a particle size between that of sandstone and mudstone
Conglomerate
A sediment rock containing large particles of other rocks cemented together
limestone
A sedimentary rock formed from the remains of sea organisms consisting mostly of calcium
Coal
A sediment consisting of dead plant and animals that were buried before they where completely decomposed
Rock Salt
Sedimentary rock that is formed when a lake dries up
Mineral Ore
rocks mined to obtain a metal or other chemical within them
Mining
extraction of natural resources from the Earth
(EIS) the environmental impact statement
study of the possible effects of a planned project on the environment
rehabilitated
restored to its previous condition
overburden
waste rock removed from below the topsoil. This rock is replaced when the area is restored.
Open cut mining
mining that scours out soil and rocks on the surface of the land
Underground mining
mining that uses shafts and tunnels to remove rock from deep below the surface
Stone age
The time beginning about 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 such as flint or obsidian were struck with harder stones, such as quartzite, to shear large flakes that could be used to make small tools
