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Rocks/Minerals Vocab
Help study the Rocks and Minerals vocab.
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Rock | A naturally occurring, solid combination of minerals. |
Igneous | "Fire Rock" rock formed from cooled molten rock. |
Sedimentary | Rock formed sediments that have been cemented together. |
Metamorphic | Rock formed from extreme heat and/or pressure on other rock. |
Sediments | Bits of weathered rock. |
Rock Cycle | Describes the progress of rocks changing from any one type to any other type of rock over long periods of time. |
Volcano | A hill or mountain made of cooled magma and/or cinders and ash, may or may not continue to erupt lava, gases, ash, etc. |
Garnet Schist | A highly foliated, medium-grained rock with varying minerals and larger crystals of garnets. |
Crystals | A piece of rock or other solid substance usually with regular geometric form and symmetrical plane faces. |
Magma | Molten rock under the surface. |
Lava | Molten rock at/above the surface. |
Bands | Lines in rock characterized by flattened crystals, often looking like stripes. |
Fossils | Remains or impression of an organism preserved in rock. |
Layers | Lines of sediment in rocks with similar features that are distinguishable from other nearby layers. |
Weathering | The breaking down of rock into smaller pieces by the actions of wind, water, and temperature changes. |
Fluorescence | The emission of radiation, usually visible light, when exposed to external radiation. |
Interlocking Crystals | Crystals which have filled in the available space within a rock, therefore not possessing the geometric shapes. |
Gravel | Weathered rock pieces, larger than sand grains, with irregular/jagged edges. |
Pebbles | Weathered rock pieces, larger than sand grains, with rounded edges. |
Molten Rock | Rock in it's liquid form. |
Natural Resource | Anything that comes from nature that is used by people. |
Synthetic | Material that does not occur naturally, made by manipulating chemicals in a lab/factory. |
Renewable | A resource that can be replenished as fast (or faster) than is is used. |
Nonrenewable | A resource that cannot be replenished on Earth as quickly as we are using it. |