Environmental Management - Rocks, Minerals, and Energy Vocabulary

Key vocabulary terms and definitions covering rocks, minerals, experimental skills, mining methods, environmental impacts, and energy resources.

Granite

An igneous rock containing mineral crystals formed by the slow cooling of molten rock (magma) below the surface.

Basalt

An igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of lava on the surface of the Earth's crust.

Limestone

A sedimentary rock formed from calcium carbonate particles derived from the weathering of rocks or accumulated organic materials.

Sandstone

A sedimentary rock formed by the compaction and deposition of sand-sized mineral particles over time.

Shale

A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed from compacted layers of clay and silt particles.

Marble

A metamorphic rock created when limestone is subjected to extreme heat and pressure underground.

Slate

A fine-grained metamorphic rock created from shale under high pressure and thermal conditions.

Rock

A combination of one or more minerals.

Mineral

A naturally occurring inorganic substance with a specific chemical composition.

Igneous rock

Rock made during a volcanic process.

Magma

Molten rock below the surface of the Earth.

Solution

Formed when a solid is dissolved in a liquid.

Precipitates

When a substance comes out of solution.

Ion

An atom in which the number of positively charged protons is not equal to the number of negatively charged electrons.

Sedimentary rock

A rock formed from material derived from the weathering of other rocks or the accumulation of dead plants and animals.

Metamorphic rock

A rock formed from existing rocks by a combination of heat and pressure.

Rock cycle

A representation of the changes between the three rock types and the processes causing them.

Aim

Identifies the purpose of your investigation.

Hypothesis

A statement on the topic that you are investigating.

Independent variable

The variable that is deliberately changed in an experiment.

Dependent variable

The variable that is measured in an experiment.

Null hypothesis

A hypothesis stating that there is no relationship between the two variables being investigated.

Alternative hypothesis

A hypothesis stating that there is a relationship between the two variables being investigated.

Bias

Encouraging one outcome over another.

Pilot survey

A trial run of a survey, which aims to discover any problems with the survey.

Calibrated

To check and make any necessary adjustments to a piece of equipment to ensure its accuracy.

Mean

The total of all values divided by the total number of values.

Mode

The value with the highest frequency.

Median

The value in the middle after the data has been sorted into ascending order.

Ore

A rock with enough of an important element to make it worth mining.

Prospecting

A process of searching for minerals.

Remote sensing

A process in which information is gathered about the Earth's surface from above.

Geochemical

The chemical properties of rocks.

Geophysical

The physical properties of rocks.

Surface mining

A type of mining used when the mineral is either exposed on the surface or overlain by only small amounts of overburden.

Overburden

The rock and soil overlying an economically viable mineral deposit.

Sub-surface mining

A type of mining used when the deposit is covered by a deep layer(s) of unwanted rock.

Adit

The entrance to a horizontal (drift) mine.

Strike rate

The frequency with which attempts to find a desired mineral are successful.

Supply and demand

The relationship between how much of a commodity is available and how much is needed or wanted by consumers of the product.

Environmental impact assessment

A process by which the probable effects on the environment of a development are assessed and measured.

Biomagnification

The process in which the concentration of a substance in living things becomes higher at progressively higher levels in a food chain or web.

Bioremediation

A process in which living things are used to remove toxic chemicals from a natural site.

Fossil fuel

A carbon-based fuel, formed over many millions of years from the decay of living matter.

Non-renewable

An item or resource that exists in a finite amount that cannot be replaced.

Renewable

An item or resource that will not be used up or can be replaced.

Electromagnetic induction

A process used for generating electricity that uses the movement of a metal coil and a magnet.

Generator

A machine that converts mechanical energy (such as movement) into electrical energy.

Turbine

A machine, often containing fins, that is made to revolve by the use of gas, steam or air.

Solar power

Harnessing energy from sunlight.

Tidal power

The use of tides (the natural change in sea levels) to generate electricity.

Tidal barrage

A small dam used to hold back a tide.

Wave power

The use of changes in the height of a body of water to generate electricity.

Bioethanol

The creation of ethanol from fermentation.

Biogas

The creation of methane from the breakdown of organic materials in an anaerobic digester.