Rocks
Minerals
Processes
Miscellaneous
Examples
100
Name and describe the three different types of rocks we have studied:
1. sedimentary: rocks made of combined sediments, which can be organic or inorganic.
2. igneous: rocks that originate from cooled and solidified magma.
3. metamorphic: rocks formed after suffering high temperatures and pressures, but without having reached a melting point.
100
Do all minerals contain silica?
No, only silicate minerals contain silica. Although they are the most common kind of minerals, non-silicates do not contain silica.
100
What three processes create igneous rocks?
(1) The magma must come out from beneath the earth's surface, (2) it must cool, and (3) it must solidify.
100
What is a mine?
A deposit from which we can extract minerals.
100
What is the most important volcanic igneous rock?
Basalt
200
What is an example of a non-detrital sedimentary rock that comes from shells?
Limestone
200
What are the five characteristics of all minerals?
1. They are natural
2. They are inorganic.
3. They are solid substances.
4. They have definite chemical compositions.
5. They have crystalline structures.
200
Sedimentary rocks are obtained from which processes?
Erosion, transport, and sedimentation, which are all forms of weathering.
200
What are the components of magma?
Rocks and minerals in a liquid state, vaporous water, and other gasses.
200
What is the most important plutonic igneous rock?
Granite
300
What is the difference between foliated and non-foliated metamorphic rocks?
The way they break apart.
Foliated rocks have their minerals arranged in parallel layers, and will break in sheets, while non-foliated rocks do not, and will break in irregular pieces.
300
What does the Mohs scale measure?
It measures the hardness of different minerals from 1-10.
300
What is diagenesis/lithification?
The process that consolidates sediments into sedimentary rocks, for example as a result of weathering.
300
What are the three layers of the geosphere called?
The crust, the mantle, and the core.
300
Is quartz a rock or a mineral?
Quartz is a silicate mineral.
400
What is the difference between detrital and non-detrital sedimentary rocks?
The nature of the sediments that create the rock:
Detrital rocks are made of the inorganic remains of other rocks, while non-detrital rocks are made of the organic remains of living things that have not decomposed.
400
What are five adjectives that can be used to describe the optical properties of minerals?
glassy, dull, pearly, diamond-like, and metallic.
400
Explain the process of metamorphism:
It is the process that creates metamorphic rocks: minerals face high temperatures and pressures and result in a metamorphic rock before they reach a melting state.
400
In this image, which layers are solid and which are liquid?
oceanic crust --> liquid
continental crust --> solid
upper mantle --> liquid
lower mantle --> solid
outer core --> liquid
inner core --> solid
400
Are there volcanic areas in Spain?
Yes, in the Canary Islands!
500
What is the difference between a volcanic and a plutonic igneous rock?
The time it took the rock to form:
Volcanic rocks result from magma that left the earth's crust quickly as lava, meaning that they are extrusive, cooled and solidified quickly, and did not have time to form mineral crystals.
Plutonic rocks are different because they form slowly from magma that has cooled and solidified inside the earth's crust, meaning that they are intrusive, had more time to form, and often have visible mineral crystals.
500
What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?
A rock is usually made up of two or more minerals that have been mixed through geological processes (such as lithification, metamorphism, etc.)
500
Which processes resulted in the creation of the universe and the earth?
The Big Bang created the universe and an accretion of planetesimals created the earth.
500
What is density and what is its formula?
Density refers to the relation of a mineral's mass and volume.
d= m/v
500
Name three examples of plutonic igneous rocks and three examples of volcanic igneous rocks:
Plutonic igneous rocks: granite, syenite, and gabbro
Volcanic igneous rocks: basalt, obsidian, and pumice.