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Minerals? Flashcards

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1
Q

science

A

a process of getting a constantly closer approx. of physical reality

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2
Q

biogeography

A

the science of why animals & plants are where they are on earth (whether via overwater dispersal or tectonic vicariance)

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3
Q

scientific method

A
  1. observe
  2. question
  3. hypothesize
  4. experiment
  5. communicate findings
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4
Q

2 types of science

A

experimental and historical science

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5
Q

experimental science

A

uses controlled experiments to test hypotheses repeatedly

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6
Q

historical science

A

investigation into events that happened in the past

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7
Q

how science progresses

A

scientific revolutions

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8
Q

naturalistic evolution

A

a view of the origins of the universe that states all things came about by natural processes over a long period of time & all organisms can be traced back to a single common ancestor

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9
Q

naturalism

A

philosophy that all that exists can be observed by the senses and that only natural mechanisms are at play in the universe

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10
Q

uniformitarianism

A

philosophical approach to geology that only observed & measured processes and rates should be used to infer past geological events.

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11
Q

geology

A

the study of the solid earth (rocks, minerals, erosion, volcanoes, plate tectonics, the planet’s historical record etc.)

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12
Q

physical geology

A

the study of current geological materials & processes

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13
Q

historical geology

A

the attempt to determine distant past geological events

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14
Q

the types of geology

A

physical & historical geology

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15
Q

hydrology

A

the study of the storage & movement of water as it passes through different parts of the water cycle

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16
Q

the earth sciences

A

geology
hydrology
oceonography

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17
Q

earth’s 4 spheres

A

atmosphere
hydrosphere
geosphere
biosphere

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18
Q

atmosphere

A

the collection of gasses that surround earth and are held to it by gravity (the primary ones being oxygen and nitrogen)

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19
Q

atmospheric pressure

A

the measure of the amount of atmosphere over a particular place

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20
Q

hydrosphere

A

all the water on earth’s surface

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21
Q

geosphere

A

the solid, rocky components of earth
It’s the largest of all the “spheres” and stretches from the crust to the core

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22
Q

components of the geosphere

A

crust
mantle
core

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23
Q

components of the crust

A

oceanic & continental crust

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24
Q

oceanic crust

A

~60% of earth’s crust/surface
made of basalt & gabbro
less than 10 km thick
produced @ oceanic rifges by volcanic activity

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25
continental crust
~40% of earth's crust/surface made of granite, diorite, & some sedimentary rocks avg. 30km thick, 70km @ times
26
the largest single component of earth
mantle
27
components of the mantle
upper mantle (from bottom of crust down 670km) lower mantle (from 670km below crust to 2890 km)
28
components of the upper mantle
lithosphere asthenosphere
29
lithosphere
solid & brittle combined crust & upper-most mantle made of tectonic plates
30
asthenosphere
compositionally similar to lithosphere but has higher temperatures and so flows with a thick plasicity
31
composition of core
mostly iron with small amounts of nickel
32
Components/classifications(?) of the core
outer & inner core
33
outer core
is liquid and flows like water the flow of iron is largely responsible for earth's magnetic field
34
inner core
solid rather than liquid due to the accumulated pressure of everything surrounding it
35
biosphere
earth's sphere of all living things
36
True or false: life on land is least diverse where temperatures are warm and water is plenty
FALSE: It's MOST diverse in those conditions
37
resource
any material that can be used by people, usually in reference to materials, organisms, land, and energy
38
reserve
a resource that's been determined to exist/has a good likelihood of existing in the resource area
39
proved reserve
a reserve known to exist & which can be recovered economically
40
mineral
A NATURALLY OCCURRING object that is a CRYSTALLINE SOLID, generally INORGANIC, has a DEFINITE CHEMICAL FORMULA, and SPECIFIC PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
41
synthetic minerals
minerals made in labs/by humans etc.
42
crystalline
solid @ earth's surface & has a regular, repetitive framework that results from an organised set of atoms; it controls the shape of the mineral
43
mineraloids
atomically amorphous (i.e. non-crystalline) minerals [like opal or glass]
44
True or False: Old earth creationism (OEC) believes in a single ancestor for all life
False
45
Methods of OEC in the biblical text etc.
Gap theory Day-age theory progressive creation
46
inorganic
the products of physics & chemistry alone (generally) without the aid of biological agents (with some minor exceptions being biominerals such as the shells of clams)
47
True or False: Ice can be considered a mineral
True
48
True or False: Water can be considered a mineral
False
49
What it means for a mineral to have a definite chemical formula
a set of elements that characterises each mineral
50
differences between rocks and minerals
rocks can be an aggregate of 1(+) minerals, composed of mineraloids, and/or composed of solid organic matter minerals often are the building blocks of rocks
51
atom
smallest particle of matter that can't be split into smaller substances by chemical processes
52
positively charged ions
cations
53
negatively charged ions
anions
54
ion
an atom with a surplus or lack of electrons
55
parts of atom
nucleus (protons & neutrons) and electron cloud
56
quantum
the specific amount of energy an electron absorbs or releases to jump orbits
57
element
materials of characteristic physical and chemical properties that can't be broken down into simpler substances by chemical processes
58
how the periodic table is arranged
by atomic number
59
atomic number
number of protons in an element it's determinative of that element
60
atomic mass
avg. sum of all the protons and neutrons of an element (including isotopes and the appropriate frequency of each)
61
isotopes
atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
62
compounds
bonding of atoms, based on valence electrons
63
valence electrons
electrons in the outermost shell
64
when atoms are most stable
when valence shells have 8 electrons
65
most common types of bonds
covalent bond ionic bond metallic bond hydrogen bond [Van der Waals]
66
covalent bond
2(+) atoms share electrons to fill both valence shells much stronger than ionic bonds
67
ionic bond
1(+) electrons transferred to another atom
68
metallic bond
valence electrons delocalised and shared among many atoms not as strong as covalent bonds but stronger than ionic
69
hydrogen bonding
loose connections between weakly-charged regions of overall neutral molecules a weak bond; makes polar molecules; creates water tension
70
Number of minerals that make up 90% of rocks on earth's surface
9
71
types of mineral properties
optical properties shape properties mass-related properties mechanical properties [odour, taste, magnetism, fizzy reaction to acids, fluorescence]
72
types of optical properties
colour (can be misleading) lustre streak double refraction
73
lustre
how light's reflected off a mineral's surface 2 types: metallic and non-metallic)
74
streak
a mineral's colour when it is made finely powdered
75
double refraction
splitting light into two beams an exclusive quality of calcite
76
crystal form/crystal habit
the geometric shape a mineral will naturally take if it's given enough space in its growth a type of shape property
77
polymorph
the same chemical that forms a different mineral based on its differently arranged atoms/molecules and the conditions of formation (e.g. graphite and diamond are both pure carbon)
78
specific gravity
the DENSITY of a substance divided by the DENSITY of water at 4°C has no units how heavy something feels to you given its size
79
types of mechanical properties
hardness tenacity cleavage plane
80
hardness
measures a mineral's resistance to being scratched (using the Mohs' scale)
81
tenacity
how easily a mineral can be broken or deformed (brittle, flexible, malleable, ductile, etc.)
82
cleavage plane
when a mineral breaks along a plane of weakness and produces a flat surface; can be good, fair, or excellent
83
fracture
when a mineral breaks with no sign of a cleavage plane; can be splintery, irregular, conchoidal
84
silicates
make up 92% of minerals in earth's crust and all share the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron "building block"
85
mineral groups for non-silicates
halides oxides sulfides sulfates carbonates native elements
86
halides
non-silicates with a halogen anion (e.g. halite & fluorite)
87
oxides
O²⁻ bonded to metal cation
88
sulfides
S²⁻ bonded to metal cation
89
sulfates
SO⁴⁻ bonded to metal cation
90
carbonates
CO₃²⁻ bonded to metal cation
91
native elements
minerals made of only one elements e.g. gold, silver, copper, graphite, diamond
92
[silicon tetrahedron chemical formula]
[SiO₄]
93
examples of oxides
hematite (iron ore--can be magnetized but not naturally so] magnetite (naturally magnetic iron ore) limonite (a yellowish iron ore)
94
examples of sulfides
pyrite (fool's gold) galena (a heavy, silvery mineral; stinks when HCL is applied)
95
examples of sulfates
gypsum (a soft "evaporite" mineral)
96
examples of carbonates
calcite (the only mineral that naturally fizzes when acid is applied and the only mineral with double refraction [also has a polymorph called aragonite that's used by many marine organisms in shell construction]) dolomite (a mineral that only fizzes with acid when it is made a powder)
97
mining
the recovery of solid metallic/non-metallic resources from rock or loose sediment
98
ores
metal-rich minerals

Geology (9 decks)

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