Earth's Building Blocks: Minerals and the Rock Cycle

Vocabulary flashcards covering mineral criteria, physical properties, the Mohs hardness scale, rock types (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic), and the rock cycle.

Mineral

A solid, naturally occurring, inorganic (non-living) substance with a definite chemical composition and an ordered internal structure.

Physical Properties of Minerals

The seven characteristics used to identify minerals: crystal form, luster, fracture/cleavage, hardness, color, streak, and intensity.

Mohs Hardness Scale

A scale that measures a mineral's relative resistance to scratching.

Igneous Rock

A category of rock formed by the cooling and solidifying of lava or magma.

Magma

Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface that cools slowly, resulting in larger crystal growth.

Lava

Molten rock on Earth's surface that cools fast, resulting in smaller crystal growth.

Intrusive Igneous Rock

An igneous rock formed from slowly cooling magma, characterized by the appearance of larger, visible mineral crystals.

Extrusive Igneous Rock

An igneous rock formed from fast-cooling lava, characterized by smaller crystals.

Sedimentary Rock

A rock formed by the compaction and cementation of sediments and layering over long periods of time.

Deposition and Layering

The geological process where transported sediments settle and accumulate in a new location, creating layers originating from weathering and erosion.

Metamorphic Rock

A rock formed when other rocks undergo intense heat and pressure below Earth's surface.

Foliated Rock

A metamorphic rock that displays a distinct foliated appearance with very noticeable layers or bands.

Non-foliated Rock

A metamorphic rock that exhibits little to no layers.

Rock Cycle

The continuous cyclical model showing the transitions and relationships between magma, igneous rocks, sediments, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks.