Chapter 3 Define

Question 1

Native element

Answer 1

Substance that exists naturally in the earth’s crust as a single, uncombined element

Question 2

Crystal

Answer 2

Geometric structure composed of atoms or molecules and having an orderly arrangement

Question 3

Face

Answer 3

The surface of a crystal

Question 4

Streak

Answer 4

A line of powder on a streak plate, used to identify a mineral

Question 5

Luster

Answer 5

The way light is reflected from the surface of a mineral

Question 6

Fluorescent

Answer 6

Describes minerals that glow particular colors when exposed to ultraviolet light in a darkened room

Question 7

Phosphorescent

Answer 7

Describes minerals that continue to glow for a while after being exposed to ultraviolet light and then placed in the dark

Question 8

Steel

Answer 8

An alloy (metal mixture) of iron and carbon

Question 9

Stainless steel

Answer 9

An alloy of iron, carbon, and nickel or chromium

Question 10

Precious metal

Answer 10

Valued for its durability, rarity, and beauty

Question 11

Bullion

Answer 11

Refined precious metal formed into bars and locked in guarded vaults as a financial reserve

Question 12

Diamond pipe

Answer 12

Narrow, vertical, underground deposit of diamond that resembles the veins of extinct volcanoes

Question 13

Mineral

Answer 13

Substance that is found naturally in the earth and has a crystalline structure

Question 14

Ruby

Answer 14

Red variety of the mineral corundum, containing chromium

Question 15

Sapphire

Answer 15

Blue (or sometimes orange or yellow) variety of corundum containing iron or titanium instead of chromium

Question 16

Emerald

Answer 16

Variety of beryl with traces of chromium oxide, which gives it a deep green color

Question 17

Precious stones

Answer 17

The rarest, most durable, and most beautiful minerals prized for their hardness, color, and light reflection

Question 18

Semiprecious stones

Answer 18

Gems that are not as rare, durable, or esteemed as precious stones

Question 19

Porphyritic

Answer 19

Describes rocks given a mixed texture when magma begins to cool slowly, deep beneath the surface, but is ejected from the earth before it hardens

Question 20

Amorphous

Answer 20

Describes rocks with a smooth, glasslike texture created when magma cools rapidly and no crystals form

Question 21

Concretion

Answer 21

Hard, round structure that forms when minerals settle out of water and crystallize around a sand grain or other mineral fragment

Question 22

Stratum

Answer 22

Horizontal rock layer that has a different type of rock layer above it

Question 23

Clastic sedimentary rock

Answer 23

Formed from fragments (clasts) of other rocks

Question 24

Conglomerate rock

Answer 24

Rock consisting of smooth pebbles embedded in hardened sand or clay

Question 25

Precipitate

Answer 25

When minerals from rocks dissolved in water crystallize and settle out of the solution, forming chemical sediments

Question 26

Evaporite

Answer 26

Chemical sediment resulting from the evaporation of water

Question 27

Limestone

Answer 27

Well-known chemical sedimentary rock consisting of at least 50% calcium carbonate

Question 28

Coal seam

Answer 28

Layered formations containing coal, usually buried in other sedimentary rock such as sandstone or shale

Question 29

Overburden

Answer 29

Upper layers of ground stripped away by surface mining

Question 30

Metamorphism

Answer 30

The change of rock into a new type of rock