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Rocks Flashcards

(58 cards)

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1
Q

Name the three types of rock in the Earth’s crust

A

igneous
sedimentary
metamorphic

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2
Q

How are igneous rocks formed?

A

By the cooling of molten materials or magma (lava from volcanoes)

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3
Q

How are igneous rocks classified?

A

They are classified based on chemical composition and crystal size. Coarse crystals cooled slowly deep in the earth and finely crystalline rocks cooled quickly. The chemical composition is approximated by color.

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4
Q

What is the difference between light and dark igneous rocks?

A

Light rocks - felsic minerals (feldspar and silica-rich minerals)
Dark rocks - more dense, mafic minerals (magnesium and iron rich minerals)

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5
Q

Sedimentary rock

A

Rocks formed by the deposition and compaction of sediments

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6
Q

Metamorphic Rock

A

Sedimentary and igneous rocks that have changed their form from heat, pressure, and/or chemical change

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7
Q

Name five common minerals in rocks

A 
Quartz
Feldspar
Mica
Calcite
Hornblende
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8
Q

Magma

A

Molten rock inside the earth (including dissolved gases and crystal)

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9
Q

Lava

A

Molten rock (originally magma) that has emerged from the surface of the Earth, often from a volcano. Similar to magma except that most of the gaseous component has escaped

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10
Q

Rocks that cooled slowly are ____ grained and have ____ crystals

A

coarse-granined, large

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11
Q

Rocks that cooled quickly are ___ grained and have ___ crystals

A

fine grained, small crystals

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12
Q

Granite is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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13
Q

List three basic characteristics of granite

A

color - light grey, pink
minerals - potassium feldspar, mica, quartz hornblende
continents are composed of granite

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14
Q

Feldspar is a type of ___

A

common igneous rock-forming material

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15
Q

List three basic characteristics of feldspar

A

main ingredient of granite
weathers easily
breaks down into fine-grained, clay-sized particles

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16
Q

Obsidian is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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17
Q

List 3 basic characteristics of obsidian

A

formed from rapidly cooling molten rock, usually dark brown or red, glassy because no crystals had time to form

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18
Q

Pumice is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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19
Q

List four basic characteristics of pumice

A

formed from gases escaping from cooling lava; light and spongy looking; floats on water; used in scouring powders

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20
Q

Pegmatite is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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21
Q

List two basic characteristics of pegmatite

A

similar to granite with a very coarse texture; emeralds and rubies found in it

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22
Q

Basalt is a type of ____

A

igneous rock

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23
Q

List 3 basic characteristics of basalt

A
  1. contains dark green (iron and MG rich) or black colored minerals (augite, hornblende)
  2. smooth texture, small crystals
  3. makes up the ocean crust
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24
Q

Describe paleomagnetism of basalts

Study These Flashcards
A

Because the mineral composition of basalts contains lots of iron, they record the Earth’s magnetic field vectors at the time of cooling/crystallization. The ocean crust records the changes in the Earth’s magnetic field

25
Diabase is a type of ___
igneous rock
26
List two basic characteristics of diabase
``` Dark color (black or green) Coarse texture ```
27
Gabbro is a type of ___
Igneous rock
28
List two basic characteristics of gabbro
The most coarse-grain of the dark-colored igneous rocks | Minerals present: dark feldspars, hornblende, olivine
29
List three main sources of particles in sedimentary rock
1. water and ice weathering igneous rock 2. water dissolving minerals in rock 3. organic particles like shells and bone
30
Place the following in order from largest to smallest size particle: silt, gravel, clay, pebbles, boulders, sand
``` Boulders Pebbles Gravel Sand Silt Clay ```
31
List three basic types of sedimentary rock
Limestone Sandstone Shale
32
Sandstone is a type of ___
Sedimentary rock
33
List 5 basic characteristics of sandstone
1. Consists mainly of sand-sized grains (commonly quartz) 2. Can transmit water 3. Colors: usually light or reddish 4. Natural cements (silica, lime) hold grains together 5. Deposited usually by rivers or in shallow seawater
34
Shale is a type of ____
sedimentary rock
35
4 basic characteristics of shale
1. composed of fine particles of clay and silt 2. forms in quiet water; shallow or deep 3. splits and crumbles easily 4. often forms a barrier to water movement uses: bricks, cement
36
Conglomerate is a type of ____
sedimentary rock
37
Conglomerate is made of ____
pebble and boulder-sized rounded rock fragments cemented together
38
Limestone is a type of ___
sedimentary rock
39
4 basic characteristics of limestone
1. made of calcium carbonate 2. formed by precipitation from sea water 3. identified by acid test: bubbles appear when hydrochloric acid is dropped on it 4. used to make cement
40
Gypsum is a type of ___
sedimentary rock
41
4 basic characteristics of gypsum
1. chemical name: calcium sulfate 2. use: plaster of paris 3. dissolves in water 4. formed when oceans dried up and minerals were precipitated
42
Organic limestone is a type of ____
Organic sedimentary rock
43
3 basic characteristics and types of organic limestone
Shells of clams, snails, corals, etc. that accumulated on the sea floor; made primarily from organisms that lived in sea water Three basic types: coral limestone, chalk, coquina
44
Coquina is a type of ____
organic sedimentary rock
45
Coquina is made of ____
loosely cemented bits of shells and coral; usually forms along shorelines
46
Chalk is a type of
organic sedimentary rock
47
Chalk is made of ___
tiny calcite shells from organisms that lived and died in the seawater; present in chalk beds thousands of feet thick (like the White Cliffs of Dover)
48
Coral limestone is a type of _____
organic sedimentary rock
49
Coral limestone is made of ___
the skeletons of coral cemented together by silica or lime present in ocean water; large masses form coral reefs
50
Coal is a type of ___
organic sedimentary rock
51
Coal is made of ___
the remains of dead plants that accumulate in swamps and are compacted along with rocks to form coal; primarily made of carbon
52
4 stages of coal formation
1. Peat - plant remains loosely packed 2. Lignite - compressed peat; brown coal 3. Bituminous - blacker than lignite with higher carbon content 4. Anthracite - hard coal formed from heat and pressure applied to bituminous coal; very high carbon content
53
How are oil and natural gas formed?
The remains of plants and tiny animals over millions of years settled in sea and swamp bottoms. Heat and pressure from burial under rock layers created oil and gas from consituent carbon atoms
54
Foliated and unfoliated rocks are two basic types of ____
Metamorphic rock
55
Describe foliated metamorphic rock
rocks are striped due to compressed bands of materials
56
Describe unfoliated metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock without visible layers
57
List and describe the three basic types of foliated metamorphic rock
Slate: splits into thin plates, used on roofs and chalkboards, black red or blue Schist: metamorphosed shale, basalt or slate; thin flakes; contains mica; fragile Gneiss: formed from compressed and heated granite or conglomerate; thick bands alternating light and dark, used for building and will not break along banding
58
List and describe the three basic types of unfoliated metamorphic rock
Quartzite: metamorphosed sandstone; hard and dense; breaks along grains Anthracite: metamorphosed bituminous coal Marbe: Metamorphosed limestone; hard and crystalline; coarse grain; many colors and streaks; used in sculptures; reacts to Hydrochloric Acid like its parent

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