Lesson 1- Minerals

Front 1

Igneous Rock

Back 1

Rock formed from the crystallization of magma.

Hint 1

Lava and magma

Front 2

Uniformitarianism

Back 2

The concept that the processes that have shaped Earth in the geologic past are essentially the same as those operating today

Front 3

Hypothesis

Back 3

A tentative explanation that is then tested to determine if it is valid

Front 4

Geology

Back 4

The science that examines Earth, its form and composition, and the changes that it has undergone and is undergoing.

Front 5

Theory

Back 5

A well-tested and widely accepted view that explains certain observable facts

Front 6

Catastrophism

Back 6

The concept that Earth was shaped by catastrophic events of a short-term nature

Front 7

System

Back 7

A group of interacting or interdependent parts that form a complex whole

Front 8

Metamorphic rock

Back 8

Rock formed by the alteration of pre-existing rock deep within Earth (but still in the solid state) by heat, pressure, and/or chemically active fluids

Hint 8

Heat and pressure

Front 9

Rock cycle

Back 9

A model that illustrates the origin of the three basic rock types and the interrelatedness of earth materials and processes

Front 10

Sedimentary rock

Back 10

Rock formed from the weathered products of pre-existing rocks that have been transported, deposited and lithified

Hint 10

Made of pieces and parts

Front 11

Abyssal plain

Back 11

Very level area of the deep ocean floor, usually lying at the foot of the continental rise

Front 12

Asthenosphere

Back 12

A subdivision of the mantle situated below the lithosphere.

The song of weak material exists below a depth of about 100 kilometres and in some regions extends as deep as 700 kilometres. The Rock within this zone is easily deformed

Front 13

Continental margin

Back 13

That portion of the seafloor adjacent to the continents.

It may include the continental shelf, continental slope and continental rise.

Front 14

Continental shelf

Back 14

The gently sloping submerged portion of the Continental margin extending from the shoreline to the continental slope

Front 15

Continental slope

Back 15

The Steep gradient that leads to the deep ocean floor and marks the seaward edge of the continental shelf

Front 16

Core

Back 16

The enter most layer of earth based on composition.

It is thought to be largely an iron nickel alloy with minor amounts of oxygen, silicon and sulfur

Front 17

Craton

Back 17

The part of the continental crust attained stability; that is, it has been affected by significant tectonic activity during the Pharnerozoic eon.

It consists of the shield and stable platform

Front 18

Crust

Back 18

The very thin outermost layer of Earth

Front 19

Deep ocean basin

Back 19

The portion of the seafloor that lies between the Continental margin and the ocean ridge system.

This region comprises almost 30% of Earth's surface

Front 20

Deep ocean trench

Back 20

A narrow, elongated depression of sea floor

Front 21

Inner core

Back 21

The solid innermost layer of Earth, about 1216 kilometers (754 miles) in radius

Front 22

Lithosphere

Back 22

Rapid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper mantle.

Front 23

Lower mantle

Back 23

The part of the mantle that extends from the ore mantle boundary to a depth of 660 kilometres.

Also known as the mesosphere

Front 24

Mantle

Back 24

One of Earth's compositional layers.

The solid Rocky shelf that extend from the base of the crust to a depth of 2900 kilometers

Front 25

Oceanic Ridge

Back 25

Mid-ocean ridge.

A continuous mountainous ridge on the floor of all the major ocean basins and varying in width from 500 to 5000 kilometres (300 to 3000 miles).

The rifls at crests of these ridges represent divergent plate boundaries.

Front 26

Outer core

Back 26

A layer beneath the mantle about 2207 kilometers (1410 miles) thick, which has the properties of a liquid

Front 27

Shield

Back 27

A large, relatively flat expanse of ancient igneous and metamorphic rock within the Craton

Front 28

Stable platform

Back 28

That part of the Craton that is mantled relativity undeformed sedimentary rocks and underlain by a basement complex of igneous and metamorphic rock

Front 29

Continental rise

Back 29

The gently sloping surface at the base of the continental slope.

Front 30

Slope

Back 30

The vertical drop of a channel over some horizontal distance.

Also known as gradient.

Front 31

Amphibole

Back 31

A group of rock forming minerals including hornblende.

They are characterized by dark color in cleavage at 60 and 120 degrees. They are common as the dark portion off otherwise light-colored igneous rocks

Front 32

Atom

Back 32

The smallest particle that exists as an element.

Front 33

Calcite

Back 33

A rock forming mineral, characterized by rhombohedral cleavage. It is the primary mineral comprising limestone

Front 34

Chemical compound

Back 34

A substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions and usually having properties different from those of its constitutent elements.

Front 35

Cleavage

Back 35

The tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding.

Front 36

Color

Back 36

A phenomenon of Light by which otherwise identical objects may be differentiated.

Front 37

Consistency of interfacial angles

Back 37

A law stating that the angle between equivalent faces of the same mineral are always the same

Front 38

Covalent bond

Back 38

A chemical bond produced by the sharing of electrons

Front 39

Crystal

Back 39

Any natural solid with an ordered, repetitive atomic structure.

Generally refers to a single mineral displaying geometrically related faces.

Front 40

Crystal shape

Back 40

Characteristic combination of intersecting faces typical of specific Crystalline materials

Front 41

Crystalline

Back 41

Any natural solid with an order, repetitive atomic structure

Front 42

Electron

Back 42

A negatively charged subatomic particle that has a negligible mass and found outside an atom's nucleus

Front 43

Element

Back 43

A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical or physical means

Front 44

Feldspar

Back 44

A group of rock forming minerals including Orthoclase and Plagioclase.

They are mostly light-colored, with two directions of cleavage at 90 degrees

Front 45

Fracture

Back 45

The tendency of a mineral to break randomly and the absence of planes of weak bonding.

Front 46

Hardness

Back 46

A minerals resistance of scratching and abrasion

Front 47

Ion

Back 47

An atom or molecule that possesses an electrical charge

Front 48

Ionic bond

Back 48

A chemical bond between two oppositely charged ions formed by the transfer of valence electrons from one atom to the other

Front 49

Luster

Back 49

The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral

Front 50

Metallic bond

Back 50

A chemical bond present in all metals that may be characterized as an extreme type of electron sharing in which the electrons move freely from atom to atom

Front 51

Mineral

Back 51

A naturally occurring, inorganic crystalline material with a unique chemical structure

Front 52

Mohs Scale

Back 52

A series of 10 minerals used as a standard in determining hardness

Front 53

Muscovite

Back 53

A rock forming mineral, crystallize by light color and one excellent direction of cleavage, resulting in thin sheets.

Once used as window glass

Front 54

Olivine

Back 54

A rock forming mineral, common to Basalt, and characterized by olive green color in and conchoidal.

The gemstone Peridot, is a variety of Olivine

Front 55

Pyroxene

Back 55

A group of rock forming minerals including Augite.

They are characterized by dark color and two directions of cleavage at 90 degrees.

They are common in dark-colored igneous rock.

Front 56

Quartz

Back 56

A common rock forming mineral characterized by its hardness conchoidal fracture.

It is very resistant to weathering

Front 57

Rock

Back 57

A Consolidated mixture of minerals.

Front 58

Silicate

Back 58

Any one numerous minerals that have the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron as their basic structure

Front 59

Silicon-oxygen tetrahedron

Back 59

A structure composed of four oxygen atoms surrounding a silicon atom that contributes the basic building block of silicate minerals

Front 60

Specific gravity

Back 60

The ratio of substance's weight to the weight of an equal volume of water

Front 61

Streak

Back 61

The color of a mineral in powdered

Front 62

Tenacity

Back 62

Describes a mineral's toughness or its resistance to breaking or deforming.

Front 63

Unit cell

Back 63

The basic building block of crystalline solids, the smallest unit that exhibits the physical and chemical properties of the particular mineral.