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Chapter 2 Vocab
Getting started
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mineral | A naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition. |
| Inorganic | Not formed from living things or the remains of living things. |
| Crystal | A solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again. |
| Streak | The color of a mineral's powder. |
| Luster | The way of a mineral reflects light from its surface. |
| Mohs Hardness Scale | A scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest; used in testing the Hardness of minerals. |
| Cleavage | A mineral's ability to split easily along flat surfaces. |
| Fracture | 1.) The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way. 2.) A break in a bone. |
| Geode | A hollow rock inside which mineral crystals have grown. |
| Crystallization | The process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure. |
| Solution | A mixture containing a solvent and at least one solute that has the same properties throughout; a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another. |
| Vein | 1.) A narrow deposit of a mineral that is sharply different from the surrounding rock. 2.) A blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart. |
| Rock-forming Mineral | Any of the common minerals that make up most of the rocks of Earth's crust. |
| Granite | A usually light-colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust. |
| Basalt | A dark, dense, igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust. |
| Grain | The particles of minerals or other rocks that give a rock its texture. |
| Texture | The look and feel of a rock's surface, determined by the size, shape, and pattern of a rock's grains. |
| Igneous Rock | A type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface. |
| Sedimentary Rock | A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together. |
| Metamorphic Rock | A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions. |
| Extrusive Rock | Igneous rock that forms from lava on Earth's surface. |
| Intrusive Rock | Igneous rock that forms when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface. |