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92 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Scale used to measure mineral hardness
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Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
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Most abundant mineral on the continental crust
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Feldspar (found in granite)
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Hardness of fingernail (according to Mohs Scale)
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2.5
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If a mineral doesn't fracture, it _______.
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cleaves
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The mass number of an atom represents ______________________________________________________.
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the total protons and neutrons in a nucleus
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The 5 characteristics of a mineral
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1. Occur Naturally;
2. Inorganic; 3. Solid; 4. Orderly Internal Structure 5. Definite Chemical Composition |
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A rock is a _______ __ ________.
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mixture of minerals
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The softest mineral according to Mohs Hardness Scale.
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Talc
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The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral is its _______.
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luster
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The common nonsilicate mineral groups
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Oxides, Sulfides, Sulfates, Native Elements, Halides, Carbonates
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True/False: Calcite fizzes in HCI.
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True
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Halite tastes like _____.
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salt
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Does gold or mica have the most elasticity?
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mica
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_____ is the most unreliable property of a mineral because __________.
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color; it can be changed by impurities
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The most common mineral group
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silicates
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does mica cleave or fracture?
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cleave
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What is the hardest mineral on Mohs Hardness Scale?
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diamond
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_______ is the color of a mineral in powered form.
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streak
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silicates make up about ____% of the crust
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75
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the second-most abundant silicate mineral
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quartz
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If an igneous rock cools quickly, it has (fine-/coarse-) grains.
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fine
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What types of particles does conglomerate have?
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gravel
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What is foliation?
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layered/banded (not strata)
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What are the 2 metamorphic agents?
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heat and pressure
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What are the 2 classifications of sedimentary rocks?
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Detrital and Chemical
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75% of surface outcrops are ____________.
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sedimentary
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What is an example of a mafic rock?
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basalt, gabbro, obsidian
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What type of sedimentary rock has particles that result from mechanical weathering?
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detrital
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What rock does gneiss metamorph from?
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shist
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What is the parent rock of marble?
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limestone
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What is the parent rock of slate?
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Shale
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What is the parent rock of quartzite?
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Sandstone
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What is lithification?
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the process of "turning into rock"
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What are the two processes of lithification?
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compaction and cementation
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What is the most common feature of sedimentary rocks?
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strata
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What type of grain is porphyritic?
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fine and coarse
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The physical breakdown and chemical alteration of rocks at or near earth's surface is __________.
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weathering
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Gravity transferring rock and soil down slope is ____ _______.
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mass wasting
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What is the sentence that describes it all?
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Rock is disintegrated and decomposed; moved to lower elevations by gravity; carried away by water, wind, and ice, which sculpts the landscape; and soil is the product.
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What are the 3 kinds of mechanical weathering?
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frost wedging, unloading and sheeting, biological activity
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What is frost wedging?
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water expands and thaws within rocks
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What is unloading and sheeting?
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pressure is released and rocks peel away
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What is biological activity?
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plants/animals
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What are the 3 agents of chemical weathering?
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water, oxygen, carbonic acid
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What kind of acid is in rainwater and how is it formed?
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carbonic; rain reacts with CO2 in atmosphere
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What does the feldspar in granite weather to?
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clay
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Why does granite weather quicker than marble?
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calcite in granite dissolves in acid in rain
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How do mechanical weathering and chemical weathering help each other?
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Mechanical creates a larger surface area; chemical weakens rock
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_______ is the most influential factor in determining weathering rates.
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Climate
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Warm and moist climate makes ________ weathering most effective.
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chemical
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____ is at the interface of all four spheres.
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soil
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Soil is 1/2 _____ and ________; 1/2 _____ and ____.
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humus, regolith, water, air
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What determines soil texture?
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particle sizes
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Which soil particle is smallest; which is largest; which is in the middle?
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clay, sand, silt
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The soil that is the perfect balance of all three soil particles is called a ____.
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loam
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What five things control soil formation?
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1. Parent Material
2. Time 3. Climate 4. Slope 5. Plants and Animals |
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List the soil horizons.
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O A E B C
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Which 2 horizons are the top soil; which 3 are "true soil"?
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O, A; A, E, B
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Which horizon is made of clay?
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B
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Which horizon is the zone of eluviation and leaching?
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E
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What is eluviation and leaching?
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Wash away and depletion
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What is the latin term for "true soil"?
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Solum
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Name the 3 soil types and describe their location (in the U.S.).
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1. Pedalfer - East of Mississippi River
2. Pedocal - West of Mississippi River 3. Laterite - Florida |
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Describe the texture of a pedalfer
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loamy
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Describe the texture of a pedocal
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low clay amounts
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Describe the texture of a laterite
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rich in clay
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Who proposed the theory of Continental Drift? What year?
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Alfred Wegener; 1915
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"all land"; "all sea"
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pangaea; panthalossa
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What was the evidence used by Wegener in the Continental Drift theory?
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1. Fit of South America and Africa
2. Continents "drifted" to their present positions 3. rock types, ages, and structures 4. Ancient climates |
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What was the main objection to Wegener's proposal to the Continental Drift theory?
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inability to provide a mechanism for the "drifting" of the continents
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When did the Continental Drift Theory begin to be accepted?
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1968
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What helped prove the Continental Drift Theory?
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1. ocean floor mapping
2. earthquake activity patterns ("the ring of fire") 3. magnetic field reversals |
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What is the largest plate tectonic?
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Pacific
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What are the 7 main plate tectonics?
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1. Pacific
2. Antarctic 3. Eurasian 4. North American 5. South American 6. African 7. Indo-Australian |
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What is the average speed of plate tectonics?
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5cm/yr
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What is the area just below the lithosphere?
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asthenosphere
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What allows for the motion of the plates?
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convection currents (in the asthenosphere)
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Which is hotter and weaker: Asthenosphere or Lithosphere?
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asthenosphere
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What mechanism is associated with Divergent plate boundaries?
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seafloor spreading
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What features are associated with Divergent Plate Boundaries?
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ocean ridge, rift valleys
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What mechanism is associated with Convergent Plate Boundaries?
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subduction
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What main feature is associated with Convergent Plate Boundaries?
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trench
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What are the 3 types of plate boundaries?
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1. oceanic-continental
2. continental-continental 3. oceanic-oceanic |
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What feature is associated with oceanic-continental convergence?
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continental volcanic arc
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What feature is associated with continental-continental convergence?
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mountain range
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What feature is associated with oceanic-oceanic convergence?
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volcanic island arc
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What are 2 features associated with transform fault boundaries?
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fault line, earthquake
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What is paleomagnetism?
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"ancient magnetism" preserved in the rocks at the time they were formed
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Shallow-focus quakes along _________ boundaries = mid-oceanic ridges
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divergent
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Deep-focus quakes along __________ boundaries = trenches
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convergent
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What was the name of the Deep Sea Drilling Project?
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Glomar Challenger
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What is an example of a hot spot?
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Hawaiian Island chain; Emperor Seamount chain
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