UNIT 1 Flashcards
Quartz
Si - Silicon
O - Oxygen
Chemical composition - Si04
Mineral
Naturally occurring Inorganic Crystalline solid Narrowly defines chemical composition Characteristic physical properties
Crystalline solid
Atoms within mineral have a fixed 3D arrangement that don’t move.
Chemical Bonding
Ionic
Covalent
Metallic
Van der Waals
Ionic Bonding
Electrons are either lost or gained and becomes an ion
Positive ions = Cations
Negative ions = Anions
ex. Halite
Halite
Na - Sodium
Cl - Chlorine
Ionic Bonding
Covalent Bonding
Atoms share electrons ex. Quartz, Diamond Most common for rocks and minerals Stronger bond Uses less energy
Diamond
C6 - Carbon
Covalent bonding
Metallic bonding
Electrons are free to migrate among atoms.
Gives metals properties of being conductive to heat and electricity and malleable.
ex. Gold, Aluminum. Brass, Copper, steel, cast iron.
Weaker and much less common.
Will only bond with other like metals.
Van der Waals bond
Weak attractive force between electrically neutral atoms.
Only seen in graphite.
Carbon atoms are bonded together covalently.
Make rings that bond into a whole sheet of carbon that is electrically neutral.
Weakly attracted to another sheet of carbon.
When writing with a pencil, van der Waal bonds are broken.
Difference between Graphite and Diamond
Different chemical structures.
Carbon - Sheets of carbon weakly linked together
Diamond - Each carbon atom is bonded to another 4 carbon atoms. Makes a pyramid shape.
Isotopes
Variation in the number of neutrons in an atom
If isotopes want to revert back to their original state of equal protons and neutrons they go through radioactive decay
Atomic number
Number of protons
Atomic weight
Number of neutrons + protons
Radioactive Decay
spontaneous breakdown of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of energy and matter from the nucleus.
Can be used to date minerals and rocks.
Smoke detectors, X-rays, Gamma rays to kill bacteria in food, Cancer treatments, Nuclear power plants
Earth’s crust (by weight)
Oxygen - 46.6 Silicon - 27.7 Aluminum - 8.1 Iron - 5 Calcium - 3.6 Sodium - 2.8 Potassium - 2.6 Magnesium - 2.1 Others - 1.5
Oxygen and Silicon alone make up 74%
(O)ld (Si)lly (Au)nt (Fe)y (Ca)n (Ne)ver (K)iss (M)en
Mineral Classes
Silicates
Non-Silicates
Silicates
Basic Building block = Si-O Tetrahedron(4 sided pyramid)
1 Silicon atom surrounded by 4 Oxygen Atoms
Si + O = Silica
Some silicates or composed entirely of Silica.
Others contain additional elements such as potassium, magnesium, or iron.
Silicon = + 4
Oxygen = - 2
Silica = - 4
Silica tetrahedron wants to combine with positive ions or share oxygen with other silica tetrahedra
Negatively charged ions: Oxygen, Fluorine, Sulfur, Chlorine
Positively chagred ions: Sodium, Calcium, Aluminum, Potassium, Silicon, Carbon, Magnesium
89% of the crust is silicates
Silicates have a tendency to break along planes of weakness between silicate layers.
Bonds have to fit together based on charges and size.
Dark silicates
Ferromagnesian minerals Olvine Amphibole Pyroxene Biotite
Ferromagnesian Minerals
Minerals are dark in color bc they are rich in iron and magnesium
Light SIlicates
non-Ferromagnesian Minerals
Feldspars
Quartz
Muscovite
non-Ferromagnesian Minerals
Minerals are light in color because they are rich in Silicon, Oxygen, potassium, sodium, and Aluminum
Earth’s Crust (By volume)
Plagioclase Feldspars - 39 Potassium Feldspars - 12 Quartz - 12 Pyroxenes - 11 Amphiboles - 5 Micas - 5 Clays - 5 Other silicates - 3 Non silicates - 8
Non-silicates
Oxides Sulfides Sulfates Halides Carbonates Native Elements (copper)
How minerals form
Solidification from cooling melt (ex.magma): Quartz crystals in granite
Precipitation from a solution: Salt from a dry lake bed
Solid state alteration: Metamorphic minerals
Biomineralization: Calcite from sheleld animals
Chemical alteration: Clay mineral from weathered feldspar
Gemstone
Mineral that has special value
Corundum
Imperfect versions of rubies and sapphires
Rubies have chromium
Sapphires have titanium
Amethyst
Quartz with iron that makes it purple
Jade
Amphibole/pyroxene
Importance of minerals
Average car contains: 240 lbs aluminum 50 lbs carbon 42 lbs copper 41 lbs silicon 22 lbs zinc 31+ lbs other minerals
Smartphones 16 g copper .35 g silver .034 g gold .015 g palladium .00034 platinum
Rare Earth Elements
Considered rare because they are found in such small concentrations. Found in almost everything including: Catalytic converters Batteries Turbines Protective eyewear Hybrid vehicles Steel additives Computers Radiation monitoring
Mountain Pass
2010 China cut off selling US rare metals. Investors decided to spend 1.25 billion $ to re-open this metal and run it in an environmentally friendly way.
China started selling rare metals again and mine was sold off in bankruptcy.
2017, Russian billionaire was going to buy mountain pass but a Chinese lead consortium ended up buying it for 20.5 million $.
Geology
Science of studying the history, composition, internal structure, and surface features of the Earth
Goal of the scientific method
Explain the physical universe, make new discoveries, and confirm old ones
Hypothesis
Proposed explanation based on limited evidence, a starting point for further investigation
Theory
A well-substantiated explanation for some aspect of the natural world based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed
Uniformitarianism
Modern
Much of the earth is uniform
Can observe processes occurring daily
“The present is the key to the past”
Catastrophism
Early ideas closely tied to religion
Features formed from catastrophic events
Geologic time scale
Millions to billions of years
Cenozoic - mesozoic - Paleozoic - Precambrian
Earth age
4.54 billion years old +/- 50 million years
Big Bang theory
14 Billion years ago Created from an irregularity: infinitely dense and hot core material Explosion and expansion Creation of space matter and time Universe is ever expanding
Hubble’s Law
Galaxies are receding away from us with a velocty that is proportional to their distance from us
Cosmic background radiation
Solar Nebula Theory
The evolution of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago came from a rotating cloud of gas that collapsed
Solar system
Terrestrial planets: Small size and mass, solid surface, closer to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Jovian planets: Larger size and mass, no solid surface, Farther from sun, rings and many moons: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Asteroid
Comets
Earth’s interior
Core: Iron & nickel
Mantle: Oxygen, Silicon, Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, ALuminum
Crust: 5-90 km thick
Lithosphere: Crust and uppermost mantle Solid, brittle, cold 100km Asthenosphere: Upper mantle Solid, plastically 250km Lower mantle: solid, very hot Outer Core: Liquid Creates magnetic field Inner core: Solid, Hottest
8 Major elements that make up 99% of Earth’s mass
Iron nickel Oxygen Sulfur Calcium Magnesium Silicon Aluminum
Earth’s power sources
Heat:
Sun: Nuclear fusion
Earth’s core: Radioactive decay & heat from initial formation of Earth
Why doesn’t Texas have earthquakes?
We are not on or alongside a fault
Continental Drift Hypothesis
Alfred Wegner in 1915
Evidence: Fit of continents
Rock sequences & mountain ranges
Glacial deposits & paleoclimates
Fossil Correlation
Seamount chains and Fracture zones
Discovered in WW2 by Axis powers
Seamount chains: Chains of mountains in the sea
ex. Hawaiin island
Fracture zones: Perpendicular lines that come out from mid-ocean ridge
The Triste
First submersible created in 1958
Dove into the Marianas trench
International Ocean discovery program
Runs a research vessel that drills into the seafloor to collect sediments and rocks into a long tube called a core.
