Topic 1
What two things can a mineral be?
A mineral can be an element (which is composed of one substance) or a compound (which is two or more elements combined).
What are the three types of rocks?
Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic?
Describe erosion.
Erosion is the movement of rock and mineral grains from one place to another.
Name the 5 layers of the earth.
Crust, Upper Mantle, Lower Mantle, Outer Core and Inner Core.
What is a seismograph?
A seismograph is used to measure earthquake strength.
What is the Mohs Scale of Hardness?
A measurement 1-10 ranged scale that measures how hard a mineral is.
How is igneous rock formed?
When hot magma or lava cools and solidifies.
What is frost wedging?
The continual freezing and thawing of moisture inside of rock, causing the rock to breakdown.
What does it mean for tectonic plates to diverge and converge?
Converging plates are plates that are coming together, diverging plates are pulling apart.
What is the richter scale and what does it register?
The richter scale is a 1-10 scale that registers the magnitude of an earthquake.
What are crystals?
Crystals are the building blocks of minerals
How do metamorphic rocks form?
Metamorphic rocks form below the earth's surface due to extremely high pressure and heat.
What is the difference between a gradual and sudden change?
A gradual change happens slowly, a sudden change happens quickly.
What is Alfred Wegener known for?
The theory of continental drift, which was once disputed, but now accepted. This theory said that the earth's continents were once the super continent Pangaea.
What is the spot where tectonic plates meet called?
A fault zone or fault line.
What is the difference between cleavage and fracture?
What is the difference between compaction and cementation in regard to sedimentary rock?
Compaction is when layers of sediment are pressed together, which cementation is when water dissolves some minerals in the compaction process forming a cement like substance.
Describe how mechanical weathering works.
Mechanical weathering is the physical breakdown of rocks that includes the effects of gravity, temperature, wind, water and abrasion.
Evidence for continental drift include things like fossil locations and the types of rock at the edges of different continents.
What is the difference between a primary and secondary wave of an earthquake?
Name the 6 mineral properties that allow us to identify minerals.
Lustre, Colour, Streak, Fracture, Cleavage and Transparency
Describe what the rock cycle is.
The continues process that recycles and transforms earth's rocks between the three rock types, metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary.
Describe the differences and similarities between chemical and biological weathering.
Biological weathering can involve the physical breakdown of minerals by living organisms, but fungus can cause chemical breakdowns similar to chemical weathering.
Describe how convection currents work and what they do.
Convection currents are the rise of warm materials and the sinking of cool materials that result in the cycle of fluid causing the earth's crust to move.
What is the difference between the focus and epicenter of an earthquake?
The focus is the place underground where an earthquake directly occurs, the epicenter is the spot above that on the surface.