Lithosphere Formation Processes | AQA A-Level Environmental Science Revision | Primrose Kitten

Lithosphere

The solid/rocky outer layer of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle.

Non-renewable

Refers to materials that form at a slow rate and cannot be replenished.

Mineral ores

Rock or solid material from which valuable minerals can be extracted for economic gain.

Hydrothermal deposition

A process in which superheated water beneath the Earth's crust dissolves minerals, which then precipitate out as deposits as the water cools.

Metamorphism

The process of recrystallization of sedimentary rock due to exposure to high pressure, temperature, or molten rock at plate boundaries.

Recrystallization

The reorganization of atoms within a rock to form a new rock type.

Sedimentary rocks

Rocks formed by the accumulation and deposition of sediments.

Proterozoic marine sediments

The formation process involving the combination of oxygen from cyanobacteria and iron in seawater, leading to the formation of insoluble iron oxide that sinks to the ocean floor over time.

Placer deposits

Mineral deposits formed by the sudden slowing of high-velocity water, concentrating dense, unreactive materials together.

Evaporite formation

The process in which a section of the ocean evaporates, leaving behind salt deposits.

Biological sediments

Sedimentary rocks formed from the remains of living organisms, such as limestone, coal, oil, and gas.

What is coal made from?

Dead terrestrial plants

What is oil made from?

Dead marine plankton

Give an example of a metamorphic reaction

Limestone to marble