Rocks and Minerals Vocab Flashcards
(43 cards)
Natural resource
materials found on Earth that are used by people
Renewable Resource
natural resources that are never-ending or can be replaced and/or replenished within a relatively short time }
Non-Renewable Resource
natural resources that can NOT be replaced or replenished (at a rate similar to the rate at which they are consumed) }
Magma
melted rock
Lava
melted rock that has been exposed to Earth’s surface
igneous rock
type of rock formed by cooling magma
sedimentary rock
type of rock formed when sediments pile up and then pack together over time
metamorphic rock
type of rock formed by extreme heat and pressure
rock cycle
the process of one rock changing into another type of rock over time
Intrusive
a word used to describe an igneous rock that has formed inside Earth, underground
Extrusive
a word used to describe an igneous rock that has formed outside of Earth, above ground
Rocks
naturally-occurring solids made of 1 or more minerals
Minerals
non-living materials naturally found on Earth (that exist as crystals or parts of rocks
Geologist
a person who studies rocks, minerals, and the dynamic processes of Earth
Fossils
Impressions, remains, or traces of a once-living organism from another geological age
paleontologist
a person who studies fossils and other geological evidence to learn about the ancient past
crystalline structure
a specific set of atoms or molecules arranged in a repeating pattern; all minerals have this internal structure, and it is this pattern that causes minerals to have certain properties we can see
Crystal Shape
the special form that minerals have that is caused by the way their atoms or molecules are combined; this term refers to the cubic, rhombohedron, or other shapes that are visible to the observer
characteristic property
a property that is the same for a certain material - regardless of sample size
transparency
this property measures how well you can see through a material
Luster
this property describes how much light reflects from an object, or how shiny something is; “shiny-ness”
Synthetic
Man made; not natural
karst topography
a landscape characterized by caves and sinkholes that have been formed by dissolving of bedrock by slightly acidic water
glaciation
the process of massive sheets of ice causing major changes in the landforms of an area by weathering, erosion, and deposition
