rocks and minerals Flashcards
(28 cards)
The earth is divided into
4 layers
What is the crust?
outermost layer of the earth
What is the crust made of?
soil and rocks
What is the mantle?
it is the second layer of the earth
What is the mantle made of?
rock that is hot, but not melted
What is the outer core?
it is the third layer of the earth
What is the outer core made of?
hot molten rock (melted)
What is the inner core?
fourth layer of the earth - hottest, solid
What is the inner core made of?
scientists think it is made of nickel and iron
What is soil made of?
rock, mineral particles, clay, sand, and living things and their remains (dead plants and animals)
What makes rocks break down?
weather - breaks down rocks, the surface becomes softer and decays, becomes soil
How long does it take for a few inches of soil to form?
thousands of years
What are minerals?
building blocks that make up rocks
in crystal form (prisms, cubes)
have a specific chemical composition
How are rocks and minerals different?
minerals are one pure substance
rocks are made of two or more minerals
What are rocks?
made up of two or more minerals
What are the three types of rocks?
sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous
How do you classify rocks?
colour, lustre, texture, hardness, acid test
What is lustre?
shininess of a rock (dull, glassy, metallic)
What is texture?
how easily you can see minerals in a rock
fine, medium, coarse
How do you do a hardness test?
fingernail, penny, nail, emery file
What is weathering?
wind, water, and humans cause rocks to break down and become soil
What are igneous rocks?
formed from hot magma inside the earth
fire rocks
magma cools to form rock
What are sedimentary rocks?
rocks that are made of particles formed in layers
pressure squeezes the layers together
What are metamorphic rocks?
changed rocks
changed by heat and pressure (squeezing)
