Rocks & Minerals Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key geological terms and definitions.

Mineral

Naturally occurring, inorganic solid.

Fracture

Breaking into lumps.

Cleavage

Breaking into a clear pattern.

Silicon-Oxygen Tetrahedron

Triangle shaped pyramid of atoms.

Clastic

Solid pieces, grains, sediments.

Bioclastic

Pieces from life.

Fossil

Any evidence of former life.

Magma

Liquid rock underground.

Lava

Liquid rock above ground.

Intrusive

Magma solidifies inside the earth.

Extrusive

Lava solidifies outside the earth.

Vesicular

Rock containing bubble holes.

Contact Metamorphism

Metamorphism affecting only what touches the heat source.

Regional Metamorphism

Metamorphism affecting an entire area.

Foliation

Wavy layers in metamorphic rocks.

Rock Cycle

Any rock can become any other rock.