Geology Chapter 3 Vocab.

Front 1

mineralogy

Back 1

the branch of geology that studies the composition, structure, appearance, stability, occurrence, and associations of minerals.

Front 2

mineral

Back 2

a naturally occurring, solid crystalline substance, generally inorganic, with a specific chemical composition.

Front 3

atom

Back 3

smallest unit of an element that retains the physical and chemical properties of that element.

Front 4

nucleus

Back 4

center of every atom, contains almost all of the mass of the atom, has protons and neutrons.

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proton

Back 5

positive electrical charge

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neutron

Back 6

electrically neutral, uncharged.

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electrons

Back 7

cloud of moving particles, negative electrical charge, has a mass so small that it is conventionally taken to be zero.

Front 8

atomic number

Back 8

number of protons in the nucleus of an atom

Front 9

atomic mass

Back 9

sum of the masses of its protons and neutrons.

Front 10

isotopes

Back 10

atoms with different numbers of neutrons.

Front 11

chemical reactions

Back 11

interactions of the atoms of two or more chemical elements in certain fixed proportions that produce chemical compounds.

Front 12

electron sharing

Back 12

mechanism by which a covalent bond is formed between the elements in a chemical reaction

Front 13

electron transfer

Back 13

mechanism by which an ionic bond is formed between the elements in a chemical reaction.

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cation

Back 14

positively charged ion.

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anion

Back 15

negatively charged ion

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ionic bond

Back 16

bond between atoms formed by electrical attraction between ions of the opposite charge.

Front 17

covalent bonds

Back 17

bond between atoms in which the outer electrons are shared.

Front 18

metallic bond

Back 18

covalent bond in which freely mobile electrons are shared and dispersed among ions of metallic elements, which have the tendency to lose electrons and pack together as cations.

Front 19

crystallization

Back 19

growth of a solid from a gas or liquid whose constituent atoms come together in the proper chemical proportions and ordered three dimensional arrangement.

Front 20

crystal

Back 20

an ordered 3d array of atoms in which the basic arrangement is repeated in all directions.

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precipitate

Back 21

to drop out of a saturated solution as crystals

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polymorphs

Back 22

one of two or more alternative possible crystal structures for a single chemical compound.

Front 23

hardness

Back 23

measure of the ease with which the surface of a mineral hardness based on the ability of one mineral to scratch another.

Front 24

Mohs scale of hardness

Back 24

an empirical, ascending scale of mineral hardness based on the ability of one mineral to scratch another.

Front 25

cleavage

Back 25

tendency of a crystal to break along flat planar surfaces.

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fracture

Back 26

tendency of a crystal to break along irregular surfaces other than cleavage planes.

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luster

Back 27

how the surface of a mineral reflects light

Front 28

color

Back 28

imparted by light-either transmitted through or reflected by crystals or irregular masses.

Front 29

streak

Back 29

color of the fine deposit of mineral dust left on an abrasive surface, such as tile or glazed porcelain, when a mineral is scraped across it.

Front 30

density

Back 30

mass per unit volume

Front 31

specific gravity

Back 31

weight of a mineral divided by the weight of an equal volume of pure water at four degrees Celsius.

Front 32

crystal habit

Back 32

shape in which its individual crystals or aggregates of crystsal grow

Front 33

rock

Back 33

naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals, or, in some cases, nonmineral solid matter.

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texture

Back 34

describes the sizes and shapes of its mineral crystals and the way they are put together.

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igneous rocks

Back 35

rocks formed by the solidification of molten rock.

Front 36

sedimentary rock

Back 36

rocks formed as the burial products of layers of sediments.

Front 37

metamorphic rocks

Back 37

rocks formed by the transformation of preexisting solid rocks under the influence of high pressure and temperature.

Front 38

intrusive igneous rocks

Back 38

a rock formed by the solidification of a magma, before or after it reaches the surface.

Front 39

extrusive igneous rocks

Back 39

form from rapidly cooled magmas that erupt at the surface through volcanoes.

Front 40

sediments

Back 40

layers of loose particles, such as sand, silt, and the shells of organisms.

Front 41

weathering

Back 41

chemical and physical processes that break up and decay rocks into fragments of various sizes.

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siliciclastic sediments

Back 42

physically deposited particles.

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chemical and biochemical sediments

Back 43

new chemical substances that form by precipitation when some of a rock's components dissolve during weathering and are carried in river waters to the sea.

Front 44

lithification

Back 44

process that converts sediments into solid rock, and it occurs either by compaction or cementation.

Front 45

bedding

Back 45

the formation of parallel layers of sediment as particles settle to the bottom of the sea, a river, or a land surface.

Front 46

regional metamorphism

Back 46

occurs where high pressures and temperatures extend over large regions, as happens where plates collide, takes place over large areas.

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contact metamorphism

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where high temperatures are restricted to smaller areas, such as the rocks near and in contact with an intrusion

Front 48

foliation

Back 48

wavy or flat planes produced when the rock was structurally deformed into folds.

Front 49

rock cycle

Back 49

the set of geologic processes that convert each type of rock into the other two types.

Front 50

ores

Back 50

rich deposits of minerals from which valuable metals can be recovered profitably.

Front 51

hydrothermal solutions

Back 51

a hot solution formed around bodies of molten rock when circulating groundwater comes into contact with a hot intrusion, reacts with it, and carries off significant quantities of elements and ions released by the reaction.

Front 52

vein deposits (veins)

Back 52

sheetlike deposits of precipitated minerals in the fractures and joints

Front 53

erosion

Back 53

set of processes that loosen soil and rock and move them to the spot where they are deposited as layers of sediment.