Minerals
What is a mineral?
A pure, naturally occurring, non-living, crystalline substance.
What are the three types of rocks?
Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
What is erosion?
The transporting of rock particles from one place to another.
What is the Earth's crust?
The thin outer layer of the Earth containing rocks and minerals.
What is continental drift?
The movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other.
Name one common mineral found in the Earth's crust.
Quartz.
What is magma?
Melted rock below the Earth’s surface.
Name one agent of erosion
Water, wind, ice, or gravity.
What are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust?
Quartz, feldspar, and mica.
What are plate tectonics?
The theory that describes the movement of the Earth's lithosphere on the underlying asthenosphere.
What is the Mohs Hardness Scale used for?
To measure the hardness of minerals.
What process forms igneous rocks?
When molten rock solidifies.
How does acid rain contribute to erosion?
It dissolves certain minerals and rocks, leading to their breakdown.
What role do minerals play in our bodies?
They are essential for various bodily functions, such as carrying oxygen in blood.
What causes earthquakes?
Sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust due to tectonic movements.
What element does the mineral Calcite provide in our bodies?
Calcium.
Define sedimentary rock.
Rock formed from particles and organic matter that have been compacted and cemented together.
Explain biological weathering.
Weathering caused by the actions of living organisms, which can break down rocks physically or chemically.
Define an element in the context of minerals.
A pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances.
How are mountains formed?
Through processes like tectonic plate collision, which can cause uplift.
Explain the difference between a rock and a mineral.
A rock is made up of one or more minerals, while a mineral is a pure substance.
Describe the rock cycle.
The continuous process where rocks are formed, broken down, and reformed through geological processes like melting, erosion, and sedimentation.
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, while erosion is the movement of those broken particles.
How do minerals contribute to rock formation?
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks, combining in various ways to form different rock types.
What is the significance of fossils in geological time?
Fossils provide evidence of past life and help scientists understand the history of the Earth.