CCHS Rocks and Minerals Brown

Basalt

A dark, dense, igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust

brittle

Easily broken; not flexible

continental crust

The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains granite, is less dense than oceanic crust, and is ~40 km thick

core

The deepest layer of the earth below the mantle

Crust

thin outer layer that is solid and brittle

ductile

capable of being shaped, bent, or deformed

Granite

A usually light colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust

inner core

A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth

Mantle

The layer of solid material that behaves like a plastic and is located between Earth's crust and core.

oceanic crust

The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains basalt, is more dense than continental crust, and is ~7 km thick

outer core

the liquid layer of the Earth's core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core

Peridotite

Dense, dark igneous rock that makes up the mantle.

Carbonate

minerals containing the carbonate compound CO3

Cleavage

the tendency of a mineral to break along flat surfaces

Color

Mineral property that is easy to use, but can be misleading.

Compound

A substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds

Element

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom

fracture

The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way

Hardness

A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched

Impurity

elements that occur in a low concentration in a mineral that can change the color of the mineral

Inorganic

Not formed from living things or the remains of living things

Luster

The way a mineral reflects light from its surface

mineral

a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition

Mohs hardness scale

the standard scale against which the hardness of minerals is rated

native elements

Minerals made of a single element

Oxide

minerals that are made up of oxygen and a metal

oxygen

the most common element found in earth's crust

precipitation

Minerals that formed from water with dissolved atoms/ions in it

Silicate

minerals that contain silicon and oxygen

silicon

the 2nd most common element found in earth's crust

Streak

The color of a mineral in powdered form

Sulfide

minerals that are made up of sulfur and a metal

Bedding Planes

the surface that separates each successive layer of a stratified rock from its preceding layer and is found only in sedimentary rocks

burial

layers of sediment that are piled one upon another

Cementation

The process in which minerals precipitate into pore spaces between sediment grains and bind sediments together to form rock.

Compaction

the process by which sediments are pressed together under their own weight

Deposition

the process in which sediment is laid down

Erosion

Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away

Foliation

The metamorphic rock texture in which mineral grains are arranged in bands.

Igneous

a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

Lava

Magma that reaches Earth's surface

Magma

Molten rock beneath the earth's surface

Metamorphic

A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.

rock

A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter

Sedimentary

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

Sediments

Loose materials such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and bits of shell

uplift

the rising of regions of the Earth's crust to higher elevations

Weathering

The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.