Minerals Basics
100 - What is the solid natural substance that has a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure?
Answer: A mineral
100 - Name one of the three main classes of rocks.
Answer: Igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic
100 - What is weathering?
Answer: The breaking down of rocks by wind, rain, temperature changes, and other natural forces.
100 - What causes an earthquake?
Answer: Sudden movement or trembling of the ground caused by rocks moving along a fault.
100 - What is magma called when it reaches Earth’s surface?
Answer: Lava
200 - What is the smallest unit of an element called? And what do each have in common?
Answer: An atom. Each atom of an element contains the same number of protons.
200 - What type of rock forms when magma or lava cools and hardens?
Answer: Igneous rock
200 - What is erosion?
Answer: The movement of soil and sediment by wind, water, ice, or gravity.
200 - What is the epicenter of an earthquake?
Answer: The point on Earth's surface directly above the earthquake's focus.
200 - Name one type of volcanic mountain.
Answer: Shield volcano, cinder cone, or composite volcano
300 - What are two or more elements bonded together called? Give an example.
Answer: A compound. NaCl or table salt is an example of a compound.
300 - What kind of sedimentary rock forms from the remains of plants and animals?
Answer: Organic sedimentary rock
300 - What happens during deposition?
Answer: Earth materials like soil and sediment are laid down in a new location.
300 - Name the three types of plate boundaries. Explain what is happening at each.
Answer: Convergent- two plates move toward each other, divergent- two plates move away from each other, and transform boundaries- two plates slide past each other (this can lead to earthquakes as the plates slip suddenly).
300 - What was the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago?
Answer: Pangaea
400 - Is plastic considered a mineral? Why or why not?
Answer: No, because plastic is man-made and not found naturally in nature.
400 - How does a foliated metamorphic rock differ from a nonfoliated metamorphic rock?
Answer: Foliated rocks have mineral grains arranged in bands or layers; nonfoliated rocks do not.
400 - What is uplift in terms of tectonic plate movement?
Answer: The rising of regions of Earth's crust to higher elevations.
400 - What type of fault is formed by compression at convergent boundaries?
Answer: Reverse fault
400 - How do scientists know that continents once formed a single landmass?
Answer: Because fossils of the same species, matching coastlines, similar rock layers, and matching past climates records are found on separated continents.
500 - What is the difference between a mineral and a rock? Explain your answer:
Answer: A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure. A rock is an aggregate of minerals that form a solid and can contain organic substances
500 - What process changes one rock type into another by heat and pressure? Explain your answer:
Answer: Metamorphism transforms a rock into another type through heat and pressure.
500 - How do rift zones affect the rock cycle and magma formation? Explain your answer:
Answer: At rift zones, two plates move away from each other pulling up molten rock from the mantle as a new crust is formed when the molten rock cools and solidifies. This forms igneous rocks.
500 - Which tectonic plate movement mechanism involves a sinking denser plate pulling the rest along? Explain your answer:
Answer: Slab pull occurs when a sinking denser plate pulls rock strata behind it along and into the subduction zone where it is destroyed.
500 - What is the Ring of Fire, and why is it important? Explain your answer:
Answer: The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped zone around the edges of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanoes and earthquakes occur. It is important because it has numerous active and explosive volcanoes formed at convergent plate boundaries, making it one of the most geologically active and dangerous areas on Earth. This region greatly affects the environment and the lives of people living nearby due to volcanic eruptions and seismic activity.