Rocks and Minerals Lecture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions of rock types, extraction methods, and geological processes from Unit 1.

Metamorphic rock

A rock formed from existing rocks by a combination of heat and pressure.

Rock cycle

A representation of the changes between the three rock types and the processes causing them.

Rock

A combination of one or more minerals.

Mineral

A naturally occurring inorganic substance with a specific chemical composition.

Igneous rock

Rock made during a volcanic process by the cooling of (molten) lava or magma.

Magma

Molten rock below the surface of the Earth.

Solution

Formed when a solid is dissolved in a liquid.

Precipitates

Formed when a substance comes out of solution.

Ion

An atom in which the number of positively charged protons is not equal to the number of negatively charged electrons.

Sedimentary rock

A rock formed from material derived from the weathering of other rocks or the accumulation of dead plants and animals, often deposited in layers.

Extrusive igneous rock

Igneous rock that cools quickly on the Earth's exterior, forming small crystals, such as basalt.

Intrusive igneous rock

Igneous rock that cools slowly in the Earth's interior, forming large crystals, such as granite.

Sedimentation

The process where eroded sediments end up in water and begin to settle.

Compaction

The process over time where more layers pile up and press down lower layers, forcing out water.

Cementation

The process where salt crystals glue sediment layers together to form a rock mass.

Ore

A rock with enough of an important element to make it worth mining.

Prospecting

A process of searching for minerals by examining the surface of the rocks.

Remote sensing

A process in which information is gathered about the Earth's surface from above, often using satellites or aerial photography.

Geochemical

Relating to the chemical properties of rocks.

Geochemical prospecting

The use of field surveys to take samples of stream sediments, soil, or rocks for laboratory analysis to identify chemicals.

Geophysical

Relating to the physical properties of rocks.

Geophysical prospecting

Using seismic waves/shock waves sent through the Earth's surface to record patterns based on present minerals.

Overburden

The rock and soil overlying an economically viable mineral deposit.

Surface mining

A type of mining used when the mineral is either exposed on the surface or overlain by only small amounts of overburden.

Sub-surface mining

A type of mining used when the deposit is covered by a deep layer or layers of unwanted rock.

Open-pit mining

A type of surface mining used to extract large, low-grade ore deposits economically.

Strip mining

A type of surface mining efficient for extracting near-surface, horizontal deposits like coal.

Drift mining

Sub-surface mining that accesses an ore deposit horizontally through a hillside.

Shaft mining

Sub-surface mining using vertical tunnels to access deep ore deposits.

Strike rate

The frequency with which attempts to find a desired mineral are successful.

Supply and demand

The relationship between how much of a commodity is available and how much is needed or wanted by consumers.

Bioremediation

A process of removing pollutants from waste using living organisms.

Sustainable resource

A resource that is produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment so that it does not run out.

Sustainable development

Development providing for the needs of an increasing human population without harming the environment.