Minerals and Rocks ESS

What is a mineral?

A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and an ordered internal structure.

What are the key characteristics of minerals?

Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, definite chemical composition, and crystalline structure.

Why are only a few minerals considered common?

They form under a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions and are composed of the most abundant elements in the Earth's crust.

What is hardness in mineral identification?

Resistance to scratching, measured by the Mohs scale.

How do minerals form from magma or lava?

Minerals crystallize as molten rock cools.

What is the difference between sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks?

Sedimentary rocks form from compacted sediments, igneous rocks from solidification of molten material, and metamorphic rocks from existing rocks transformed by heat and pressure.

What are clastic sedimentary rocks?

Rocks made of fragments classified by grain size.

What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks?

Intrusive rocks cool slowly inside the Earth and have large crystals, while extrusive rocks cool quickly on the surface and have small or no crystals.

What is foliation in metamorphic rocks?

A texture where minerals are arranged in bands or layers.

What is the process of contact metamorphism?

Metamorphism that occurs when rocks are heated by nearby molten magma.