Mineral Characteristics
The S in SNIFC stands for this, describing one property that all minerals must share.
SOLID
This is the least useful property in mineral identification. There are too many varieties!
COLOR
Define renewable resource
A resource that can be replaced quickly and easily
Igneous rocks form from ____________.
magma or lava
An igneous rock that forms deep underground is this subtype.
INTRUSIVE
The I in SNIFC stands for "__________," telling us that every mineral is made of nonliving material.
INORGANIC
A mineral's _____________ might be described as glassy, dull, or metallic
LUSTER
Minerals... Renewable or Nonrenewable?
NONRENEWABLE
A rock that is built from thousands of sand particles stuck together is classified as a __________ rock.
SEDIMENTARY or CLASTIC SEDIMENTARY
A sedimentary rock that has fossils in it is considered this subtype.
The N in SNIFC means ___________.
NATURAL
A mineral that breaks in flat sheets displays this unique property.
CLEAVAGE
Describe how an igneous rock might become a metamorphic rock.
It becomes buried underground and over a long time changes due to intense heat and pressure.
HEAT AND PRESSURE
Metamorphic rocks can show stripes or banded layers. This characteristic is called __________.
FOLIATION
The F in SNIFC stands for _____________. So, Quartz is always made of silicon and oxygen. Nothing more, nothing less.
FIXED COMPOSITION
Some minerals break in random shapes. These minerals have a __________ type of breakage.
FRACTURE
Ore refers to ___________.
Metal resources found in minerals
Granite is melted into molten rock, then solidifies into a new rock. How would you classify this new rock?
IGNEOUS
An igneous rock that cools quickly at Earth's surface has _______ grains.
SMALL or FINE
C in SNIFC means _________________, which is based on how the atoms are arranged.
CRYSTALLINE or CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
What do we call the scale that ranks minerals based on how resistant to scratching they are?
MOH'S HARDNESS SCALE
Sedimentary rocks are the only type of rocks that contain fossils. Why?
THEY DON'T FORM WITH HEAT
Bits of rock fragments that get stuck together to build new rocks are called ___________.
SEDIMENT
What "family" does a light colored igneous rock belong to?
FELSIC