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Earth 201 > Ch 8: Metamorphism & Metamorphic Rocks > Flashcards

Ch 8: Metamorphism & Metamorphic Rocks Flashcards

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1
Q

Asteroid

A

One of thousands of small planetlike bodies, ranging in size from a few hundred kilometers to less than 1 kilometer across. Most asteroids’ orbits lie between those of Mars and Jupiter.

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2
Q

Asthenosphere

A

A subdivision of the mantle situated below the lithosphere. This zone of weak material exists below a depth of about 100 kilometers (60 miles) and in some regions extends as deep as 700 kilometers (430 miles). The rock within this zone is easily deformed.

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3
Q

Atom

A

The smallest particle that exists as an element.

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4
Q

Aureole

A

A zone or halo of contact metamorphism found in the country rock surrounding an igneous intrusion.

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5
Q

Basalt

A

A fine-grained igneous rock of mafic composition.

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6
Q

Basin

A

A circular downfolded structure.

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7
Q

Bed

A

See Strata.

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8
Q

Biotite

A

A dark, iron-rich mineral and a member of the mica family with excellent cleavage.

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9
Q

Black smoker

A

A hydrothermal vent on the ocean floor that emits a black cloud of hot, metal-rich water.

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10
Q

Breccia

A

A sedimentary rock composed of angular fragments that were lithified.

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11
Q

Burial metamorphism

A

Low-grade metamorphism that occurs in the lowest layers of very thick accumulations of sedimentary strata.

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12
Q

Chemical bond

A

A strong attractive force that exists between atoms in a substance. It involves the transfer or sharing of electrons that allows each atom to attain a full valence shell.

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13
Q

Cleavage

A

The tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding.

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14
Q

Coarse-grained

A

See Phaneritic texture.

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15
Q

Color

A

A phenomenon of light by which otherwise identical objects may be differentiated.

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16
Q

Comet

A

A small body that generally revolves about the Sun in an elongated orbit.

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17
Q

Compaction

A

A type of lithification in which the weight of overlying material compresses more deeply buried sediment. It is most important in the finegrained sedimentary rocks such as shale.

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18
Q

Compressional stress

A

Differential stress that shortens a rock body.

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19
Q

Confining pressure

A

Stress that is applied uniformly in all directions.

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20
Q

Conglomerate

A

A sedimentary rock composed of rounded, gravel-size particles.

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21
Q

Contact metamorphism

A

Changes in rock caused by the heat from a nearby magma body.

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22
Q

Convergent plate boundary

A

A boundary in which two plates move together, resulting in oceanic lithosphere being thrust beneath an overriding plate, eventually to be reabsorbed into the mantle. It can also involve the collision of two continental plates to create a mountain system.

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23
Q

Crater

A

The depression at the summit of a volcano or a depression that is produced by a meteorite impact.

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24
Q

Crust

A

The very thin, outermost layer of Earth.

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25
Crystal or Crystalline
Any natural solid with an ordered, repetitive atomic structure.
26
Deformation
General term for the processes of folding, faulting, shearing, compression, or extension of rocks as the result of various natural forces.
27
Differential stress
Forces that are unequal in different directions.
28
Facies
A portion of a rock unit that possesses a distinctive set of characteristics that distinguishes it from other parts of the same unit.
29
Fault
A break in a rock mass along which movement has occurred.
30
Fine-grained
See Aphanitic texture.
31
Fold
A bent layer or series of layers that were originally horizontal and subsequently deformed.
32
Foliation
A term for a linear arrangement of textural features often exhibited by metamorphic rocks.
33
Fracture
Any break or rupture in rock along which no appreciable movement has taken place.
34
Geothermal gradient
The gradual increase in temperature with depth in the crust. The average is 30°C per kilometer in the upper crust.
35
Geyser
A fountain of hot water ejected periodically from the ground.
36
Gneiss
Medium- to coarse-grained banded metamorphic rocks in which granular and elongated minerals dominate.
37
Gneissic texture
A texture of metamorphic rocks in which dark and light silicate minerals are separated, giving the rock a banded appearance.
38
Gradient
The slope of a stream, generally expressed as the vertical drop over a fixed distance.
39
Hornfels
A fine-grained nonfoliated metamorphic rock formed from various minerals.
40
Host rock
Pre-existing crustal rocks intruded by magma. Host rock may be displaced or assimilated by magmas.
41
Hydrothermal metamorphism
Chemical alterations that occur as hot, ion-rich water circulates through fractures in rock.
42
Hydrothermal solution
The hot, watery solution that escapes from a mass of magma during the latter stages of crystallization. Such solutions may alter the surrounding country rock and are frequently the source of significant ore deposits.
43
Impact crater
A depression that results from collisions with bodies such as asteroids and comets.
44
Impact metamorphism
Metamorphism that occurs when meteorites strike Earth’s surface.
45
Index mineral
A mineral that is a good indicator of the metamorphic environment in which it formed. Used to distinguish different zones of regional metamorphism.
46
Intensity (earthquake)
A measure of the degree of earthquake shaking at a given locale, based on the amount of damage.
47
Ion
An atom or a molecule that possesses an electrical charge.
48
Light silicate
A silicate mineral that lacks iron and/ or magnesium. Light silicates are generally lighter in color and have lower specific gravities than dark silicates.
49
Limestone
A chemical sedimentary rock composed chiefly of calcite. Limestone can form by inorganic means or from biochemical processes. (IU Buildings, empire state building, pentagon, yankee stadium all are made of Indiana Limestone)
50
Magma
A body of molten rock found at depth, including any dissolved gases and crystals.
51
Mantle
One of Earth’s compositional layers. The solid rocky shell that extends from the base of the crust to a depth of 2900 kilometers (1800 miles).
52
Marble
A soft metamorphic rock formed from limestone or dolostone. Marble of various colors is used for building stones and monuments.
53
Melt
The liquid portion of magma excluding the solid crystals.
54
Metamorphic facies
A group of associated minerals that are used to establish the pressures and temperatures at which rocks undergo metamorphism.
55
Metamorphic rock
Rock formed by the alteration of preexisting rock deep within Earth (but still in the solid state) by heat, pressure, and/or chemically active fluids.
56
Metamorphism
The changes in mineral composition and texture of a rock subjected to high temperatures and pressures within Earth.
57
Meteor
The luminous phenomenon observed when a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up; popularly called a “shooting star.”
58
Meteorite
Any portion of a meteoroid that survives its traverse through Earth’s atmosphere and strikes the surface.
59
Mid-ocean ridge (or Ocean ridge)
A continuous mountainous ridge on the floor of all the major ocean basins and varying in width from 500 to 5000 kilometers (300 to 3000 miles). The rifts at the crests of these ridges represent divergent plate boundaries.
60
Migmatite
A rock exhibiting both igneous and metamorphic rock characteristics. Such rocks may form when light-colored silicate minerals melt and then crystallize, while the dark silicate minerals remain solid.
61
Mineral
A naturally occurring, inorganic crystalline material with a unique chemical structure.
62
Mineralogy
The study of minerals.
63
Mountain belt
A geographic area of roughly parallel and geologically connected mountain ranges developed as a result of plate tectonics.
64
Muscovite
A common member of the mica family of minerals, with excellent cleavage.
65
Outcrop
Sites where bedrock is exposed at the surface.
66
Parent rock
The rock from which a metamorphic rock formed.
67
Partial melting
The process by which most igneous rocks melt. Since individual minerals have different melting points, most igneous rocks melt over a temperature range of a few hundred degrees. If the liquid is squeezed out after some melting has occurred, a melt with a higher silica content results.
68
Pegmatite
A very coarse-grained igneous rock (typically granite) commonly found as a dike associated with a large mass of plutonic rock that has smaller crystals. Crystallization in a water-rich environment is believed to be responsible for the very large crystals.
69
Phyllite
A metamorphic rock composed mainly of fine crystals of muscovite, chlorite, or both.
70
Plate tectonics
A theory which proposes that Earth’s outer shell consists of individual plates that interact in various ways and thereby produce earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and the crust itself.
71
Pluton
A structure that results from the emplacement and crystallization of magma beneath the surface of Earth.
72
Polymorphs
Two or more minerals having the same chemical composition but different crystalline structures. Exemplified by the diamond and graphite forms of carbon.
73
Porphyroblastic texture
A texture of metamorphic rocks in which particularly large grains (porphyroblasts) are surrounded by a fine-grained matrix of other minerals.
74
Quarrying
Removing loosened blocks from the bed of a channel during times of high flow rates.
75
Quartz
A common silicate mineral consisting entirely of silicon and oxygen that resists weathering.
76
Quartzite
A hard metamorphic rock formed from quartz sandstone.
77
Recrystallization
The formation of new mineral crystals in a rock that tend to be larger than the original crystals.
78
Regional metamorphism
Metamorphism associated with large-scale mountain building.
79
Rock
A consolidated mixture of minerals.
80
Rock cleavage
The tendency of rocks to split along parallel, closely spaced surfaces. These surfaces are often highly inclined to the bedding planes in the rock.
81
Sandstone
An abundant, durable sedimentary rock primarily composed of sand-size grains.
82
Schist
Medium- to coarse-grained metamorphic rocks having a foliated texture, in which platy minerals dominate.
83
Schistosity
A type of foliation that is characteristic of coarser-grained metamorphic rocks. Such rocks have a parallel arrangement of platy minerals such as the micas.
84
Sedimentary environment
See Environment of deposition.
85
Sedimentary rock
Rock formed from the weathered products of preexisting rocks that have been transported, deposited, and lithified.
86
Shale
The most common sedimentary rock, consisting of silt- and clay-size particles.
87
Slate
A very fine-grained metamorphic rock containing platy minerals and having excellent rock cleavage.
88
Slaty cleavage
A type of foliation that is characteristic of slates, in which there is a parallel arrangement of fine-grained metamorphic minerals.
89
Slide
A movement common to mass-wasting processes in which the material moving downslope remains fairly coherent and moves along a well-defined surface.
90
Strata
Parallel layers of sedimentary rock.
91
Stress
The force per unit area acting on any surface within a solid.
92
Subduction
The process by which oceanic lithosphere plunges into the mantle along a convergent zone.
93
Subduction zone
A long, narrow zone where one lithospheric plate descends beneath another.
94
Subduction zone metamorphism
High-pressure, lowtemperature metamorphism that occurs where sediments are carried to great depths by a subducting plate.
95
Tectonics
The study of the large-scale processes that collectively deform Earth’s crust.
96
Texture
The size, shape, and distribution of the particles that collectively constitute a rock.
97
Thermal metamorphism
See Contact metamorphism.
98
Trench
See Deep-ocean Trench

Earth 201 (9 decks)

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