Lab flash cards

Flash card based on lab book in prep for the final.

What is a rock

Any solid mass of mineral or mineral- like matter, that occurs naturally.

What is a mineral.

A naturally occurring inorganic solid that has a rigid crystalline structure and a definite chemical composition.

Luster.

The way light is reflected from the surface if a mineral

* metallic
* Non metallic

Metallic luster

Has the look of a metal

Vitreous luster

Glassy aperance

Transparent

A material that lets all of the light straight through and you can see completely through this object

Translucent

This material only lets some of the light through and is allows us to partially see though a material

Opaque

no light is let through.this material is not see thought

Cleavage

The tendency of a mineral to break repetitively along a flat surface due to weaker bonds.

Specific gravity

Represents the density of a mineral as defined by the ratio between the weight of a specific volume of the mineral and an equal volume of water

What did Alfred Wagner contribute to the field

He hypothesized that all the countries wer once’s together in one Supercontinent ( Pangea )

Sea floor spreading

* was introduced by Harry Hess and Marry Thorpe
* The idea that rising magma from

Dipolar field

* The two pole field with a north and a south
* The overall pattern of the geometric field

Paleomagnetism

* the study of rock magnetism in order to determine the direction of earths magnetic field
* Looking at the rock record to see the earths magnetic field when the rocks formed

Curie point

* 570 degrees Celsius
* Happens in the cooling of igneous rocks
* The point when in the magnetic grains align wit earths magnetic field
* These grains are preserved on this orientation even after the earths magnetic field switches polarity
* The grains are Fe rich

Convergent boundaries

Places where the plates that make up

Streak

* color of residue made by scratching a mineral on a porcelain plate


* to leave a mark the miner must be softer then the porcelain plate (H=6.5)

Crystal shape or habit

* the characteristic shape of a mineral
* requires space, chemical constituents and certain conditions to form properly

**Includes-** equant, fibrous, bladed, massive, prismatic, tabular, ect

conchoidal fracture

a smother or curved break

* looks like you broke a windshield

What happens for igneous rocks to form

The cooling and crystallization of magma.

what needs to happen for sediment to form

Weathering, transportation, and deposition of any type of rock.

What needs to take place for a sedimentary rock to form.

The lithification of sediment ( compaction and cementation )

what needs to take place to have a metamorphic rock

Any type of rock must undergo heat and intense pressure (metamorphism)

What needs to happen for magma/lava to form

The melting of metamorphic of igneous rock deep beneath the earths surface.

what form extrusive igneous rock

Form at the surface from lava or pyroclastic material cooling

* a fast cooling will result in a fine grained texture

how do Intrusive igneous rocks form

form from the cooling of underground magma

* a slow cooling result in a coarse grained texture

What is Lava

Molten rock that has erupted onto the earths surface

what is Magma

molten rock that is found at depth

Aphanitic texture

quickly the minerals are too small to see with the eye

* forms when lava cooled quickly
* typically volcanic or extrusive rocks
* igneous rock texture

Phaneritic texture

* minerals can be seen with the un-aided eye.


* forms when magma is cooled slowly underground
* Plutonic and intrusive rocks have this texture
* Fine grain=

Glassy texture

* no crystals have formed


* lava cooled VERY quickly
* typical rocks include obsidian and pumice
* igneous rocks

porphyritic texture

* Two different crystal sizes in the one rock
* caused by two different stages of cooling, the magma migrates
* this term is used as a prefix (ex- _______ basalt )

Fragmental/pyroclastic

* rocks formed by explosive volcanic activity
* contains volcanic ash.
* most commonly from felsic magmas

\