Minerals, Rocks, and Earth's Structure
Describe a mineral
a solid inorganic substance that is naturally formed in nature.
What is the Earth's crust?
It is the rocky and outermost shell of Earth's interior that is broken into seven pieces called plate tectonics.
Complete this sentence:
The Earth's surface changes all the time and gets broken down by __________ and ___________.
weathering and erosion
Name Earth's Resources that are distributed unevenly.
Fossil fuels (oil and coal), minerals, and groundwater.
What are sedimentary rock layers called? (say it with attitude)
Strata
What is a rock?
a rock is a mixture of different minerals, volcanic glass, organic matter, and other materials.
What causes the plates to move?
Plate movement is caused by convention currents.
Compare weathering and erosion
Weathering is when rocks are broken down into smaller pieces while erosion is the removal of weathered material.
What is the main cause of all these resources being distributed unevenly?
Plate tectonics had continued to change earth's surface and where they are distributed.
What type of rock are fossils preserved in?
They are preserved in sedimentary rock strata.
What is the rock cycle and what three types of rocks does it form?
The rock cycle is a model that describes the formation, breakdown, and reformation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
Name the rock that as it cools it hardens into a new solid crust.
Basalt-a dark and dense rock that forms the ocean floor.
Name two types of weathering and how they occur.
Mechanical weathering is caused by physical forces breaking down rocks and Chemical Weathering is caused by chemical reactions.
Where and how was coal and oil first created? Be specific.
Geologists assume that newer rock layers are on top of older ones. This is know as:
The Law of Superposition.
What are some properties of igneous rock?
Fast and slow cooling of magma, glassy, large crystals, holes where gas was trapped, and many colors.
What happens when a continental plate converges with an oceanic plate?
The denser plate is forced down into the mantle and and a sea floor trench is formed.
What is soil and why is it so important?
Soil is a combination of rocks, organic matter, water and air and it supports all plant life!
What is the main difference that results in an uneven collection of groundwater?
Geological features such as the type of soil affect the collection of groundwater. Since there are different types of soil around the world then water is unevenly distributed.
What would an OEC and NEC say about the fossil record and rock layers?
An OEC would say that fossils and rock layers show Earth's long history and age while NEC would say that fossil and rock layers were formed quickly during Noah's flood.
Describe how each rock is formed in the rock cycle.
Igneous is formed by the melting and cooling of magma (below) and lava (above).
Sedimentary rock is formed by erosion and when sediments are compacted and cemented together.
Metamorphic rock is formed by heat and pressure.
Describe the three types of plate boundaries and the geological process occurs at each plate.
Divergent-plates move apart. For example, oceanic crusts diverging creates an mid ocean ridge while two continental crust diverge and create a rift valley.
Transform-sliding past one another. For example, when the plates slip past one another they create faults that cause earthquakes. Most famous is San Andreas Fault.
Convergent-when two continental plates collide and push against each other they form mountains.
*If an oceanic plate collides with an continental plate then the oceanic crust goes below and a trench forms where the plates collide and creates a subduction zone.
Explain the differences among weathering, erosion, and depostion.
Weathering is when rocks are broken down into smaller pieces while erosion (water, ice, gravity, wind) is the removal of that weathered material, and deposition is the process of depositing or dropping sediment.
Name the four geological processes that form minerals and how they are formed.
Volcanic eruption- as the magma cools it can form crystals.
Weathering-acid rain can dissolve materials that later form minerals.
Precipitation-as water evaporates then solids are left behind as a mineral.
Metamorphism-when a mineral is exposed to extreme heat and pressure then it changes into a new mineral.
Name at least three ideas that OEC and NEC have in common regarding Earth's Creations.
read Genesis
believe that God create the Earth/Universe
God created all life
Both believe bible and some scientific evidence
Believes in fossils and dinosaurs
Earth has a specific age