basic
Q: What is the formula for density?
MASS/VAL
Why is color an unreliable property for identifying minerals?
Impurities in the mineral can cause it to appear in many different colors, such as quartz, which is not always clear.
What are the two main textures based on cooling rate
A: Aphanitic (fine-grained) indicates fast cooling (extrusive), and phaneritic (coarse-grained) indicates slow cooling (intrusive)
How do you tell the difference between Granite and Diorite
Granite contains pink minerals (felsic), while Diorite is strictly black and white (intermediate), resembling a "Dalmatian"
What is "fracking" and what is its cost/impact?
A medium-cost extraction method that involves injecting fluid to get oil/gas out, which can cause man-made earthquakes
How do continental and oceanic crust differ
What is the difference between cleavage and fracture?
Which seismic wave cannot travel through the liquid outer core?
A: S-waves (Secondary/Shear waves)
How can you tell Marble from Quartzite if they are the same color
Marble will fizz/react with HCl because it contains calcite, while Quartzite will not
Q: Which fossil fuel produces the most CO2 for the same amount of energy?
Coal produces significantly more CO2 than oil or natural ga
What is isostatic equilibrium?
It is the ratio of the percentage of a floating object (like crust on the mantle) that sits above versus below the surface.
What is the "greenest" rock in the mantle
A: Peridotite (ultramafic)
What is a thrust fault and what causes it?
What does "foliation" look like in a rock
t appears as a planar arrangement of minerals that looks like banding or layering (e.g., the bands in Gneiss or sheets in Slate)
hat are the specific health impacts of natural gas mentioned
Using natural gas (like in stoves) can release formaldehyde, which impacts human health
What is the most dense layer of the Earth, and what is it made of?
The mantle is the most dense layer, and it is composed of peridotite, which is described as the "greenest rock"
What are the three classic grain sizes from largest to smallest?
Gravel, sand, silt, and clay.
What is a normal fault and what causes it?
A: A fault where the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall, caused by extension (pulling apart)
What are the three categories of sedimentary rocks
hy won't we "run out" of oil soon according to the sources?
Because we have massive reserves (like tar sands and oil shale) that become viable if technology improves or oil prices rise
What is the Law of Superposition?
In undeformed sedimentary layers, the youngest layer is at the top and the oldest is at the bottom
What is a porphyritic texture
An igneous rock texture with both large and small crystals, indicating a two-stage cooling process
Why is bedrock the best substrate to build on for earthquake safety?
Bedrock does not amplify shaking, whereas loose or wet sediments make shaking worse.
What is a porphyritic texture?
A texture containing both large and small crystals, which indicates a two-stage cooling process
What is the most destructive method of oil extraction mentioned