Fossil Terms
The study of rocks and how they form
What is Geology?
The preserved remains of (or traces of) dead organisms
What are fossils?
The colour that a mineral appears to the naked eye.
What is colour?
The way a mineral reflects light
What is lustre?
Diamonds come from this element
What is carbon?
The slow process when organic remains are replaced with minerals to form a fossil
What is permineralization?
Gravel, sand, ash, dust, and dirt are all _________.
What is sediment?
The colour of a mineral in powdered form
What is streak?
What is density?
Topaz naturally occurs in these colours. (name 2)
What are pink, blue, yellow, green, white?
Fossils usually only form in this type of rock
What is sedimentary?
An organism that has slowly been turned to stone through mineralization
What is petrified?
The measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched
What is hardness?
What is its density?
True or False: Emerald is a naturally "soft" gemstone.
What is true?
Amber is preserved ___________ sap.
What is tree?
This type of fossil can be used to date unknown rock layers
What is an index fossil?
A mineral's tendency to break along straight lines
What is cleavage?
The softest item on the Mohs scale of hardness
What is talc?
Name for the "impurities" found in naturally occurring gemstones
What is inclusion?
Using clues from index fossils and chronological layering to determine the age of a rock
What is relative dating?
What is a trace fossil?
When a mineral breaks irregularly
What is fracture?
How a mineral looks on the outside vs. the colour of its powder
What is the difference between colour and streak?
Red and blue corundum is the scientific name for these two gemstones
What are ruby and sapphire?