GS 106 Quiz #2 Study Guide: Minerals, Rocks and Resources

Vocabulary flashcards covering minerals, rock families, igneous rock subcategories, the rock cycle, mining processes, and resource demand from the GS 106 Quiz #2 Study Guide.

Mineral

An Earth material that must possess specific main characteristics to be classified as such, which is compared and contrasted with elements and rocks and used in common products.

Mineral identification properties

The specific physical and chemical characteristics evaluated to identify an unknown mineral, some of which are considered least useful.

Three main rock categories

The three primary families of rocks, each formed through distinct processes and interconnected with one another through the rock cycle.

Rock cycle

The geological framework that explains how the three main rock categories or families form and remain interconnected over time.

Igneous rocks

A major category of rocks divided into two subcategories—intrusive and extrusive—based on how they form and how they are distinguished from each other.

Intrusive igneous rocks

A subcategory of igneous rocks distinguished from extrusive igneous rocks by its specific mode of formation and diagnostic physical characteristics.

Extrusive igneous rocks

A subcategory of igneous rocks distinguished from intrusive igneous rocks by its specific mode of formation and diagnostic physical characteristics.

Elements

Fundamental substances that are compared and contrasted with minerals and rocks, including essential components required for rechargeable batteries.

Rocks

Earth materials organized into three main categories or families, formed and linked through the rock cycle, and compared and contrasted with minerals and elements.

Rechargeable batteries

Technological devices requiring specific important elements that are subject to potential future shifts in supply and demand.

Mining process

A series of sequential main steps used to extract Earth materials and mineral resources, which has the potential to generate acid-mine drainage.

Acid-mine drainage

An environmental issue caused by the mining process that produces harmful effects on the surrounding environment.