Quartz
Main ingredient of sand
The most common mineral in the earths crust
Minerals
Substances that are found naturally in the earth and have a crystalline structure
Mineralogy
The branch of geology that deals with the identification and classification of minerals
Native elements
Substances that exist naturally in the earth's crust
Halides
Consists of compounds made with the elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine
Sulfides
Minerals that contain the element sulfur
Includes pyrite which is sometimes called "fool's gold
Carbonates
Minerals containing carbon bounded to oxygen
Silicates
The largest group of minerals
Crystals
Geometric structures that are composed of atoms or molecules and have an orderly arrangement
Faces
How crystals are characterized
The number of flat surfaces on a crystal
Diamond
The hardest naturally occurring substance known
Luster
The way light is reflected from the surface of a mineral
Hardness
The resistance of a smooth surface of a mineral to being scratched
MOHs Scale
The scale that is used to rate hardness
Cleavage
The tendency of a mineral to break along certain planes
Specific gravity
A number that compares that objects density to the density of water
Phosphorescent
Some minerals continue to glow for a while after being exposed to ultraviolet light, these minerals are said to be this
Streak test
A mineral test that leaves a line of powder on a plate for analysis
Ore
Any mineral that contains a valuable metalic element
Aluminum
The most abundant metal in the earth's crust
Lightweight, silvery metal
Refined from the common mineral bauxite
Used for aircrafts, spacecrafts, kitchen appliances, drinks, and wheels
Iron
Second most common metal in the earth's crust
Alloy
A metal mixture of iron and carbon
Steel
What most iron containing products are made of
Stainless steel
An alloy of iron, carbon, and nickel/chromium
Copper
A reddish orange metal
Familiar as the thin coating on pennies
Good conducted of electricity
Used for electrical wiring
Brass
Two alloys of copper
A mixture of copper and zinc
Lead
Used for radiation shielding, auto. batteries, and small arm ammo
Bullion
Refined gold that is made into bars
Platinum
White/ gray metal
Has become even more valuable than gold or silver
Precious stones
There rarest, most durable, most beautiful minerals
Ruby
Red variety of corundum
Also has chromium
Sapphire
Corundum contains traces of iron titanium instead of chromium
Gains a distinctive blue color
Emerald
Color formed from beryl
Deep, green color
Aquamarine
Traces of iron gives beryl this blue-green color
Simulant gemstones
Have a different chemical and physical properties than natural ones
Synthetic gemstone
Identical to their natural counterparts in appearance and chemical content
Rocks
The hard material that makes up the earth's crust
Petrology
The branch of geology that is concerned with the origin, composition, and structure of rocks
Igneous rock
Rocks that form when magma solidifies
Intrusive rock
Igneous rock that forms when magma cools and hardens underground
Extrusive rock
When magma reaches the surface and is forced out as lava, it cools and hardens creating this type of rock
The rate at which the magma cools
The chief condition affecting an igneous rocks texture
Basalt
The most common igneous rock
A dense rock that commonly flows from heavy lava flow
Porphyritic
When magma cools first slowly and then quickly, large and small grains develop, giving the rock a mixed texture
Amorphous
When magma cools very rapidly, no crystals form and form this rock
Obsidian
A smooth glass-like rock
Sedimentary rocks
Made up of thick layers of sediments that are deposited
Concretions
Hard round structures that form when minerals settle out of water and crystalize around a sand grain or other mineral fragment
Stratum
A single layer of,sediment rock
Horizontal rock layer that has a different type of rock layer above it
Clastic sedimentary rock
Deposits of mechanical sediments may be "glued" together by pressure or chemical action to form this type of rock
Shale
The most abundant sedimentary rock
Conglomerate
Rocks that consists of smooth pebbles embedded in hardened sand or clay
Limestone
A well known chemical sedimentary rock
Evaporites
Chemical sediments that may result from evaporation of water
Coal
An organic sedimentary rock
Fossil fuel
Bitumen
Coal tar
Used to pave roads, make detergents, and perfumes
Overburden
When miners strip away the upper layers of the ground
Longwall mining
When a rotating drum travels down a 1,000 ft long track and grinds the coal from the coal seam
Metamorphism
The change of rock into a new type of rock through extreme heat/pressure