Earth Science: Chemistry, Minerals, and Rocks Flashcards

Vocabulary review covering atomic structure, radiation, mineral properties, and rock classification (Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic).

at# (Atomic Number)

The number of protons ($p$) in the nucleus of an atom, abbreviated as $Z$.

atm (Atomic Mass)

The sum of protons ($p$) and neutrons ($n$) in an atom, abbreviated as $A$.

atch (Atomic Charge)

The result of protons ($p$) minus electrons ($e$), abbreviated as $C$.

Radioactivity

The emission of energy and sometimes particles by an unstable atom in an attempt to become more stable.

Alpha ($\alpha$) Radiation

A large, slow-moving particle consisting of a helium nucleus ($2p + 2n$).

Beta ($\beta$) Radiation

A small, fast particle (an electron) released when a neutron turns into a proton ($p+1$, $n-1$).

Gamma ($\gamma$) Radiation

Pure energy in the form of a wave that travels at the speed of light with no mass or charge change.

Mineral

A naturally-occurring, inorganic solid that possesses an orderly crystalline structure and a definite chemical composition.

Crystalline structure

A basic pattern of atoms that repeats throughout a solid mineral.

Luster

The way light reflects off of a mineral's surface texture.

Streak

The color of a mineral in its crushed or powdered form.

Cleavage

A property describing a mineral that breaks along very clean, flat surfaces.

Fracture

A property describing a mineral that breaks roughly or unevenly.

Mohs scale

A logarithmic scale from $1$ to $10$ used to measure the hardness of a mineral.

Density

The ratio of an object's mass to its volume ($mass/volume$).

Opaque

A mineral property where no light is transmitted through the sample.

Translucent

A mineral property where light is transmitted, but a clear image is not visible through the sample.

Transparent

A mineral property where both light and an image are visible through the sample.

Tenacity

A measure of how a mineral responds to stress or broken surfaces.

Silicate minerals

A group of minerals containing oxygen and silicon atoms, forming the most common rock-forming minerals.

Silicon-oxygen tetrahedron ($SiO_4^{4-}$)

The fundamental building block of all silicate minerals.

Rock

A solid mass of mineral or mineral-like matter that occurs naturally as an aggregate of several different minerals.

Igneous Rocks

Rocks formed directly from the cooling and crystallization of molten rock (magma or lava).

Magma

Molten rock located below the Earth's surface.

Lava

Molten rock located above the Earth's surface.

Coarse-Grained Texture

A texture resulting from slow-cooling plutonic rock where minerals are large enough to be visible to the naked eye.

Fine-Grained Texture

A texture resulting from fast-cooling volcanic rock where individual minerals are not visible.

Porphyritic Texture

A texture featuring large crystals surrounded by small crystals, caused by a slow-then-fast cooling process.

Vesicular Texture

A volcanic rock texture characterized by being light and containing gas bubbles.

Felsic

Igneous rocks with high silica ($SiO_2$) content, typically light gray or white in color.

Mafic

Igneous rocks with low silica content, typically dark (black or gray) in color.

Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks made from pieces of other materials, classified as clastic, chemical, or biochemical.

Lithification

The process of turning sediments into solid rock through compaction and cementation.

Biochemical Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks made from the organic remains of organisms, such as fossils.

Metamorphic Rocks

Rocks changed from an original parent rock through an increase in pressure and heat.

Confining Pressure

Pressure applied evenly from all directions, resulting in a granoblastic texture.

Differential stress

Pressure applied mainly from the sides, producing a foliation texture.

Foliation

A metamorphic texture where the rock looks squeezed more from one side than the other.

Protolith (Parent rock)

The original rock before metamorphism occurs.