Planet Earth Quiz 1

Earths layers order

Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core

What causes earths magnetic field?

Outer core

Lithosphere

Rigid, cool outer layer that forms tectonic plates

Asthenosphere

Warmer, weaker, ductile mantle rock that flows slowly over geologic time

Mantle convection and plate movement?

Heating that happens in the mantle

Divergent boundaries

Moves outwards

Convergent boundaries

Moves inwards

Transform boundaries

Slides side by side

Valence electrons

Outer electrons that decide how atoms bond

Ionic bonds

Electrons are transferred

Covalent bonds

Electrons are shared

Metallic bonds

Electrons move freely

Mineral

Naturally occurring, solid, crystalline, specific composition

Chemical formula

Makes up a mineral

Crystalline

Set atomic structure

Amorphous

No set atomic structure

Halite’s structure

Cube shape

Polymorphs

Same chemical made a completely different mineral (ex. diamond and graphite)

Mineral formation and precipitation

Minerals left when water dries out

Color

Light not absorbed

Streak

Powder color after rubbing on tile

Luster

How light bounces off (shininess)

Crystal habit

Crystal shape matches atomic structure

Cleavage

Splits or 90-degree planes along mineral’s natural growth

Fizzing reveals

Calcite

Magnetic reveals

Magnetite

Silicates

Most common mineral in earths crust and mantle

Silicate tetrahedra molecule

Pyramid shape

Volcano types

Stratovolcano, Shield, Caldera

Pyroclastic flows

Liquid hot smoke from a volcano

Lahars

Rock and volcanic gas flow (volcanic landslide)

Intrusive rocks

Cools slowly deep in the earth

Extrusive rocks

Cools rapidly on the surface

Phaneritic

Intrusive rocks with large crystals

Aphanatic

Extrusive rock with finer crystals

Porphyritic

Rock forms slowly but cools rapidly

Glassy

Extreme rapid cooling of lava

Felsic vs mafic composition, slowest-fastest:

Felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultramafic

Silica, temperature, and magma viscosity

More silica- higher viscosity (thicker)

Magma density and buoyancy

Pushes the less dense magma to the surface

Lithification

Turning something into a rock

Physical weathering

Rocks break into smaller rocks

Chemical weathering

Minerals in rocks dissolve or change due to water, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals

Angularity

How sharp a rock is

Sharper rock

Hasn’t moved a lot

Clastic rock

Small rocks fused together over time (ex. Sandstone)

Non-clastic rocks

Crystals form from dissolved chemicals in water after it evaporates (ex. Limestone)

Biogenic rock

Accumulated organic remains/skeletons/shells (ex. Coquina)

Breccia

More angular

Conglomerate

More rounded

Igneous rocks

Melted rocks

Metamorphic rocks

Rocks that transform into new rocks without melting

Foliated textures

Rocks with minerals that are banded (lines)

Non-foliated texture

Crystals are not aligned (no lines)

Protoliths

Original rock before transforming into new rock

Recrystallization

Same structure but new texture and grain size

Phase change

New crystal structure

Metamorphic grades- least to most:

Slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss

Prograde

Temp and pressure increase and change rock

Retrograde

Temp and pressure decrease and change rock

Index minerals

Tells how much metamorphism has occurred

Regional metamorphism

Large scale metamorphism cause by high temp and pressure (foliated rocks)

Contact metamorphism

Localized metamorphism caused by heat from magma baking surrounding rocks (non-foliated rocks)

Shock metamorphism

Big impact generates extreme pressure, resulting in significant deformation of rock (ex: meteor, nuclear weapon)