Science Minerals Flashcards
(44 cards)
What are the 4 characteristics of all minerals?
Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, with crystalline structure
How do minerals form?
magma/lava cooling or solutions evaporating
What is the most abundant group of minerals found in the crust and why?
Silicates = silicon and oxygen
two elements are the most common elements found in the earth’s crust
How do we identify minerals and why do we need to use more than one property to identify a mineral?
color (what it looks like), streak (color in powder form), hardness (how easily scratched), luster (how light reflects), cleavage/fracture (how it breaks), density, taste, smell - use more than one property because some minerals share properties (ex: the color and streak are sometimes different)
**Color,streak,hardness,luster,cleavage/fracture,density,taste,smell
How do we use the Mohs Hardness Scale to determine the hardness of a mineral?
Any mineral with a higher number can scratch a mineral with a lower number
What is the rock cycle?
Shows how one type of rock can change into a different type of rock
What is the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks?
How they form
How does each type of rock form?
Igneous- lava and magma cooling
sedimentary - sediments compacting or the precipitation of minerals
metamorphic - heat and pressure
What determines the texture or grain size in rocks?
igneous- determined by how fast the magma/lava cools
sedimentary - determined by the size of the sediments
What are the different types of mining?
6
Underground- vertical shaft dug deep
mountaintop removal- clear-cut forests, blast away to expose resource
evaporation- collecting water in ponds
placer- sifting in riverbed
open pit- large hole in ground
strip mining- removing sections at a time
What are the negative environmental impacts of mining? How can we reduce these impacts?
Air/water pollution, increased runoff and erosion
land reclamation can be done once mining is complete to reduce these impacts - replant vegetation
What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?
How quickly the resource can replace itself
renewable resources - replace themselves quickly
nonrenewable- take long that we essentially only have the amount that we currently have
What are some examples of renewable resources?
Trees, plants, crops, cotton, water, air
What are some examples of nonrenewable resources?
All rocks and minerals, fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas)
What is the difference between natural resources and made things?
Natural resources are found in the earth, humans than make things with those resources
How do we make materials like glass, steel, and paper?
Glass is made from sand with extreme heat from a furnace,
steel is made from iron and carbon with extreme heat from a furnace,
paper is made from tree pulp
Other than generating electricity, in what other ways do we use oil/petroleum?
Plastic, nylon, faux leather, synthetic rubber, etc.
mineral, fizzes with acid, 3 on the Mohs scale
Calcite
mineral, most common mineral, used in making glass
Quartz
mineral, very soft, 1 on Mohs scale, used in cosmetics
Talc
mineral, lead ore, heavy, breaks into cubes
Galena
mineral, hardest mineral, used in jewelry and for cutting
Diamond
mineral, breaks into thin sheets
Mica
mineral, made of carbon not lead, used in pencils and machinery lubricants
Graphite
