earth and life science

cleavage

cleavage

the tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding

diamond

hardest mineral on earth

luster

the appearance of the mineral surface in the reflected light

igneous rock

a magma or lava that solidifies - igneous rocks

rock cycle

it is a transformation of a rock sedimentary to metamorphic to igneous

sedimentary rock

it is called the "rock from the living things"

contact metamorphism

it happens when magma intrudes a cooler rock, exposing it to high temperature but not to higher pressure and creates non-foliated rocks

regional metamorphism

a rock is exposed to high pressure and creates foliated rocks

evaporites

rocks formed from the evaporation of water leaving the dissolved minerals to crystallized

shale

precursor of gneiss

shale, slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss

What is the progression of shale from low grade to high grade?

rocks

aggregate of minerals

open pit mining

practice of mining mineral ore which involve digging large open holes in the ground

placer mining

the most ecological way of mining where materials are picked up without using any significant means

hard rock mining

mining ores bodies by creating rooms supported by surrounding pillars of hard rock

heavy media seperation

a recovery method where the crushed rocks are submerged in liquid where the denser minerals sink thus separating from the lighter minerals

coalification

formation of coal from plant materials by process if diagenesis and metamorphism

source rock

a rock that has produced oil and gas

coal

a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins

lignite

brown coal

kerogen

an intermediate material made up of water, carbon dioxide, carbon and hydrogen which is then transformed into oil and gas

anthracite

the highest rank of ignitable coal

migration

slow constant movement of gas and oil away from the source rock

pumped storage hydroelectric system

hydroelectric system that uses two water reservoirs to transfer water from a lower elevation and vice-versa

flash steam

Geothermally heated water under pressure is separated in a separate vessel into steam and hot water where the steam is delivered to a turbine and the turbine powers the generator

subsidence

gradual sinking of source rock further under the Earth's crust

fossil fuels

formed by natural process such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms

groundwater

supply fresh water found under the Earth's surface

water cycle

mechanism by which water moves from the air to the earth and back to the atmosphere

evapotranspiration

release of water vapor from the warm bodies, soil, and plants

runoff on the surface

the precipitation that flows over the land to the streams and rivers and finally to the ocean

0.8%

how much freshwater (in percentage) is available for drinking?

freshwater

water with low concentrations of salts

infiltration

process of water percolating through the soil and into cracks and permeable rocks

aquifers

porous layers of sand, gravel, or lying below the water table

recharge zone

area where water infiltrates and aquifer

water table

top of the saturation zone

talc

softest mineral on earth

porphyritic texture

texture in which large crystals are scattered on a background of much smaller crystals.

sedimentary

what rocks are made during lithification

hydraulic mining

a method of mining by which water is sprayed at a very high pressure against a hill or mountain

dredging

used to bring up underwater mineral deposits

oil

what will organic debris made out of animal produce more

gas

what will organic debris made out of plants produce more

bauxite

precursor of aluminum

flash/ binary combined cycle

the portion of the geothermal water which flashes to steam under reduced pressure is first converted to electricity

open universe theory

the universe is expanding at an increasing speed

edwin hubble

main proponent of the continuously expanding universe

goldilocks zone

The perfect distance from a star in order to sustain water

magnetic field

field that protects living beings from solar radiation