Science Vocab For Rocks And Minerals

Front 1

physical property of some minerals that causes them to break along smooth, flat surfaces

Back 1

cleavage

Front 2

physical property of some minerals that causes them to break with uneven, rough, or jagged surfaces

Back 2

fracture

Front 3

measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched

Back 3

hardness

Front 4

describes the way a mineral reflects light from its surface; can be metallic or nonmetallic

Back 4

luster

Front 5

naturally occuring inorganic solid that has definite chemical composition and an orderly internal atomic structure

Back 5

mineral

Front 6

ratio of a mineral's weight of an equal volume of water

Back 6

specific gravity

Front 7

color of a mineral when it is in powdered form

Back 7

streak

Front 8

describes dense, dark- colored igneous rock formed from magma rich in magnesium and iron and poor in silica

Back 8

basaltac

Front 9

describes generally light-colored, silica-rich, igneous rock that is less dense than basaltic rock

Back 9

granatic

Front 10

rock formed when magma or lava cools and hardens

Back 10

igneous rock

Front 11

molten rock that flows from volcanoes onto Earth's surface

Back 11

lava

Front 12

forms when heat or pressure act on an sedimentary or igneous rock to change

Back 12

metamorphic rock

Front 13

mixture of one or more minerals etc

Back 13

rock

Front 14

model that shows how rocks slowly change from one form to another through time

Back 14

rock cycle

Front 15

forms when sedimenst are compacted and cemented together or when minerals form from solutions

Back 15

sedimentary