rocks

Question 1

any of the inorganic elements that are essential to the functioning of the human body and are obtained from foods.

Answer 1

minerals

Question 2

the outermost layer of the Earth.

Answer 2

lithosphere

Question 3

a very hot mixture of molten rock and gases, just below the Earth’s surface.

Answer 3

magma

Question 4

material broken down by weathering and erosion that is moved by wind or water.

Answer 4

sediments

Question 5

elements found uncombined in the Earth’s crust

Answer 5

native elements

Question 6

substance made up of atoms and molecules

Answer 6

crystals

Question 7

appearance of a mineral caused by the way it reflects light.

Answer 7

lustre

Question 8

colour of a mineral as a fine powder, found by rubbing it onto an unglazed white ceramic tile

Answer 8

streak

Question 9

a measure of how difficult it is to scratch the surface of a solid material.

Answer 9

hardness

Question 10

the gradual destruction or diminution of something

Answer 10

erosion

Question 11

denoting rocks composed of broken pieces of older rocks.

Answer 11

clastic

Question 12

a distinct compound or substance

Answer 12

chemical

Question 13

relating to or derived from living matter.

Answer 13

organic

Question 14

the remains or impression of a prehistoric plant or animal embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form.

Answer 14

fossils

Question 15

the process that changes rocks by extreme pressure or heat (or both)

Answer 15

metamorphism

Question 16

rock formed from another rock that has been under great heat or pressure (or both)

Answer 16

metamorphic rocks

Question 17

a fine-grained metamorphic rock formed as a result of moderate heat and pressure on shale

Answer 17

slate

Question 18

a metamorphic rock formed as a result of great pressure on limestone

Answer 18

marble

Question 19

a coarse-grained metamorphic rock formed mainly as a result of great pressure on granite

Answer 19

gneiss

Question 20

a metamorphic rock formed as a result of great pressure on limestone

Answer 20

marble

Question 21

any remains, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of a former geological age; evidence of life in the past

Answer 21

fossil

Question 22

a scientist who studies fossils

Answer 22

palaeontologists

Question 23

the age of a rock compared with the age of another rock

Answer 23

relative age

Question 24

cavity in a rock that shows the shape of the hard parts of an organism; types of fungi found growing on the surface of foods

Answer 24

mould

Question 25

fossils that provide evidence, such as footprints, that an organism was present when the rock was formed

Answer 25

trace fossils

Question 26

describes volcanoes that are no longer active. Extinct volcanoes have not erupted for thousands of years and show no sign of future eruption.

Answer 26

extinct

Question 27

rocks mined to obtain a metal or other chemical within them

Answer 27

mineral ores

Question 28

extraction of natural resources from the Earth

Answer 28

mining

Question 29

study of the possible effects of a planned project on the environment

Answer 29

environmental impact statement (EIS)

Question 30

estored to its previous condition

Answer 30

rehabilitated

Question 31

waste rock removed from below the topsoil. This rock is replaced when the area is restored.

Answer 31

overburden

Question 32

waste rock removed from below the topsoil. This rock is replaced when the area is restored.

Answer 32

overburden

Question 33

mining that uses shafts and tunnels to remove rock from deep below the surface

Answer 33

underground mining

Question 34

rocks formed from sediments deposited by water, wind or ice. The sediments are cemented together in layers, under pressure.

Answer 34

sedimentary rocks

Question 35

flat, open land beside a river where sediments are deposited during floods

Answer 35

floodplains

Question 36

large bodies of ice that move down slopes and push boulders, rocks and gravel in front of them

Answer 36

glaciers

Question 37

deposit left by movement of a glacier

Answer 37

moraines

Question 38

a sedimentary rock with medium-sized grains. The sand grains are cemented together by silica, lime or other salts.

Answer 38

sandstone

Question 39

a fine-grained, sedimentary rock without layering

Answer 39

mudstone

Question 40

a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed in layers by the consolidation of clay

Answer 40

shale

Question 41

a sedimentary rock with a particle size between that of sandstone and mudstone

Answer 41

siltstone

Question 42

sedimentary rock containing large particles of various sizes cemented together

Answer 42

conglomerate

Question 43

a sedimentary rock formed from the remains of sea organisms. It consists mainly of calcium carbonate.

Answer 43

limestone

Question 44

a sedimentary rock formed from dead plants and animals that were buried before rotting completely

Answer 44

coal

Question 45

a sedimentary deposit formed when a salt lake or seabed dried up. Its main chemical is sodium chloride.

Answer 45

rock salt