Mineralogy and Earth Science Lectures

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the fundamentals of mineralogy, including mineral properties, classifications, chemical bonding, atomic structure, and geological phenomena discussed in the lecture notes.

Mineralogy

The scientific study of minerals.

Soil

A mix of tiny particles that support plant growth.

Sand

Particles with a grain size between $2\,mm$ to $1/16\,mm$.

Mineral

A naturally occurring, solid, homogeneous substance formed by inorganic processes with a definite atomic structure and specific chemical composition.

Mineraloids

Materials that do not satisfy all mineral properties and cuya shape cannot be defined.

Crystalline

An ordered and repetitive atomic structure.

Piezoelectric

A property of Quartz where it oscillates when pressure or temperature is applied, used for accuracy in electronics.

Feldspar

A mineral used in ceramics, glass, paint, and plastics; it includes alkali and plagioclase varieties.

Mica

Potassium aluminium silicates that act as electrical insulators and are used in cosmetics for shimmer.

Bauxite

An ore of Aluminum ($Al_2 \cdot H_2O$) used to produce aircrafts, cans, and abrasives like sandpaper.

Fluorite

A mineral ($CaF_2$) used as a flux in iron and steel production to remove impurities; its purple color is caused by a Frenkel defect.

Barite

The heaviest non-metallic mineral ($BaSO_4$) used in X-ray imaging and to increase weight in drilling mud for oil and gas boreholes.

Amorphous mineral

A mineral with no definite atomic structure, shape, or size, such as Opal (hydrated silica).

Solid solution

A phenomenon where one element replaces another in a crystal lattice, such as the substitution of $Fe$ and $Mg$ in Olivine.

Monomineralic Rock

A rock having $>90\%$ of a single dominant mineral, such as Dunite which is $>90\%$ Olivine.

Felsic Magma

Magma with a high silica content ($>65\%\,SiO_2$), high viscosity, and explosive eruption styles like strato-volcanoes.

Mafic Magma

Magma with $45-55\%\,SiO_2$ content, high density, and low viscosity, resulting in effusive lava flows and shield volcanoes.

Quark

An elementary particle that makes up protons and neutrons; upquarks have a $+2/3$ charge and downquarks have a $-1/3$ charge.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element with a constant atomic number but different number of neutrons (changing atomic mass).

Isobars

Different elements with the same atomic mass but different atomic numbers, such as ${}^{40}Ar$, ${}^{40}K$, and ${}^{40}Ca$.

Isotones

Different elements that have the same number of neutrons.

Mole (Avogadro's Number)

A quantity representing $6.022 \times 10^{23}$ units, used to measure mass in appreciable amounts.

Great Oxidation Event

A period around $2500\,my$ ago in the Proterozoic when cyanobacteria increased oxygen levels, leading to Banded Iron Formations (BIF).

Lepidolite

A lithium-bearing Mica used to produce lithium-ion batteries.

Diadochy

The ability of different elements to substitute for one another in a crystal structure, such as $Na\,Al\,Si_3O_8$ and $Ca\,Al_2Si_2O_8$.