Rocks and Minerals Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to rocks and minerals.

Minerals

Naturally occurring substances on Earth made of elements

Igneous Rock

Formed when hot, liquid rock cools and becomes hard

Sedimentary Rock

Made from material that sinks to the bottom of a liquid; composed of sediment (tiny pieces of rock)

Weathering

The breaking down of rock into smaller pieces by wind, rain, or temperature

Erosion

The process in which pieces of sediment move over a surface

Metamorphic Rock

Rock that has formed under heat and pressure and has changed

Sediment

Solid material that settles on land or at the bottom of water

Magma

Hot, melted rock found deep inside the Earth

Rock

Solid substance made of minerals

Rock Cycle

The process of rocks changing from one type to another

Extrusive

Igneous rocks formed from magma outside the Earth

Intrusive

Igneous rocks formed from lava inside the Earth

Geologist

A person who studies the Earth and the changes that take place on or below the surface

Streak

The color left by a mineral when it is rubbed on a white porcelain tile

Luster

How a mineral reflects light

Hardness

A mineral’s resistance to scratching by a fingernail, penny, and steel nail

Crystal

A mineral with a repeating geometric pattern of particles

Talc

The softest mineral

Pumice

An igneous rock with air pockets

Geodes

Gray or brown sedimentary or igneous rock on the outside and crystals inside