Unit 2 Ch 7 Vocab Flashcards
Neptunism
the obsolete theory that all rocks of Earth’s crust were deposit from, or crystallized out of; water
Plutonism
the obsolete theory that the rocks of Earth’s crust formed by solidification of a molten material or were heated
atomic number
the total number of protons in an atom
ion
an atom or molecule that possesses an electrical charge
cation
ion with a positive charge
anion
ion with a negative charge
covalent bonding
union formed when two or more atoms mutually share electrons
ionic bonding
molecular bond formed when two oppositely charged atoms (ions) attract
silicates
a substance that contains silica as part of its chemical formula
crystal form
the arrangement of various faces on a crystal in a definite geometric relationship to one another
cleavage
the tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding
hardness
resistance of a mineral to scratching; Mohs scale - 10 minerals
color
used to describe minerals
luster
appearance taken on by a mineral in reflected light
streak
color of a pulverized substance; a useful property for mineral identification
absolute hardness scale
denotes hardness based on how much pressure must be applied to a diamond point moved across a mineral before a scratch appears