WRITTEN QUESTIONS

Question 1

Explain why a cubic zirconia is NOT a mineral.

Answer 1

Cubic zirconia is manmade and therefore not considered a mineral

Question 2

Draw and label a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron.

Answer 2

silicon surrounded by oxygen

Question 3

Why are minerals sometimes referred to as “the building blocks of Earth”?

Answer 3

Earth is made of many different types of rocks, and rocks are composed of a mixture of minerals making them the building block of Earth.

Question 4

Some physical properties are more useful for identifying certain minerals than others. Explain how color can be useful to identify some minerals but not others. Be sure to use mineral examples in your answer.

Answer 4

Some minerals are all of the same color, such as olivine, while quartz comes in many colors so then its not useful to identify the mineral.

Question 5

What are cleavage and fracture? How are these physical properties similar? How are they different?

Answer 5

Fracture is when a mineral breaks in a random pattern because it has no smooth surfaces, while cleavage is when a mineral breaks smoothly. They are not similar.

Question 6

List the four major magma compositions in order of silica content. Highest to lowest.

Answer 6

felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultramafic

Question 7

Describe the difference between the relative viscosity of felsic versus mafic magma and how this affects the rate of flow of each type.

Answer 7

Felsic magma has a higher velocity meaning felsic magma flows slower.

Question 8

Rhyolite and granite are both felsic igneous rocks, although they have different cooling histories and, consequently, different textures. Explain the difference between the two rock types from a cooling perspective and be specific about which igneous texture can be applied to which rock.

Answer 8

Rhyolite cooks quickly at the surface, creating fine-grained texture, whilst granite cools slowly within the crust, creating a coarse-grained texture.

Question 9

Compare and contrast a dike and a sill. How are they similar? How are they different?

Answer 9

Dikes and sills both have intrusive igneous features, while they differentiate by dikes cutting across existing structures and silks intrude parallel to sedimentary bedding.

Question 10

What is the fundamental difference between an explosive and an effusive eruption? What variables are important in determining whether a volcano “flows” or “blows”?

Answer 10

Eruptive style varies between volcanoes primarily because of magma composition. Effusive eruptions result from low-viscosity, low-silica magmas in which molten rock pours out of the vent as lava flows or fountains of lava. Explosive eruptions result from higher-viscosity, higher-silica magmas in which pressure builds in the magma as volatiles form bubbles that cannot escape. In this scenario, the magma is violently fragmented and expelled from the vent

Question 11

What are the three main types of volcanoes? How is the shape of a volcano related to its eruptive style?

Answer 11

Shield volcanoes are broad, gentle domes that form from layers of low-viscosity mafic lavas produced by effusive eruptions. Cinder cones are near-symmetrical, cone-shaped piles of lapilli that form from lava fountaining out of a vent during an effusive eruption. Stratovolcanoes, also known as composite volcanoes, tend to be large (up to a few kilometers high and 15 km across) cone-shaped mountains made from alternating layers of lava

Question 12

What are the ways in which geoscientists can monitor volcanoes? Is it possible for scientists to predict eruptions?

Answer 12

Scientists cannot predict eruptions in the long-term, although short term predictions may be possible. To do this, scientists monitor earthquake activity, heat flow, gas emissions and changes in the shape of the volcano. The overall goal is to provide timely warnings to the public based on the available scientific data.

Question 13

What are some of the main volcanic hazards?

Answer 13

Volcanic eruptions pose many hazards: Lava flows overrun roads and towns, ash falls blanket the landscape, pyroclastic flows incinerate everything in their path, landslides and lahars bury the land surface, and tsunamis wash away coastal towns.

Question 14

How are sedimentary rocks different from igneous rocks?

Answer 14

Sedimentary rocks are formed from compacted sediments and contain fossils, while igneous rocks are formed from cooling of magma.

Question 15

Limestone can be either a biochemical or a chemical sedimentary rock. Explain how both types of limestone are formed. Make sure to describe the environments in which they were formed.

Answer 15

fossilferous limestone is a biochemical limestone formed in marine enviornments near reefs. Travertine is a chemical limestone and forms in caves.

Question 16

What attributes would a clastic sedimentary rock have if it had traveled far from its source and was carried in a current with uniform energy? What environment would this be?

Answer 16

a clastic rock that traveled from its soursce and carried in a uniform energy current owuld have rounded and sorted sediment which would contain quartz. Would most likely be a beach.

Question 17

What is the difference between chemical and physical weathering?

Answer 17

The difference is that chemical weathering involves the chemical alteration of the minerals within rocks, often interacting withw ater, and physical weathering involves the physical breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces without altering the cemical composition.

Question 18

What are the steps involved in the formation of a clastic sedimentary rock?

Answer 18

Clastic sedimentary rocks are formed by weathering of earth materials, downslope movement and erosion, transportation, deposition, and lithification as a sedimentary rock.