Rocks & minerals

• Rocks


  Naturally-occurring aggregates of minerals and mineraloids
• How are igneous rocks formed?

  Through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
• What are the two types of igneous rocks?

  Intrusive and Extrusive
• How do intrusive igneous rocks form?

  From magma cooling slowly below the Earth's surface.
• How do extrusive igneous rocks form?

  From lava cooling quickly on the Earth's surface.
• What is the most common type of (extrusive) igneous rock?


  Basalt
• What are the three types of rock?

  Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
• Describe the crystal size in intrusive igneous rocks


  Bigger and coarser
• Describe the crystal size in extrusive igneous rocks


  Smaller and finer
• How are sedimentary rocks formed?

  From loose material called sediments that have been eroded in weathering and then buried and compacted in a process called diagenesis.
• What are the three main classifications of sedimentary rocks?

  Clastic, chemical, organic
• Clastic sedimentary rocks


  These rocks are formed from pre-existing rocks (sandstone)
• Chemical sedimentary rock 


  Formed from the precipitation of minerals from water (limestone)
• Organic sedimentary rocks


  Composed of the remains of living organisms (coal, limestone with fossils)
• Metamorphic rock forms as a result of heat and pressure
• Prolith


  The original rock that was altered to form a metamorphic rock.
• A rock that forms when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface is called an intrusive igneous rock
• Foliated metamorphic rock


  These rocks are produced by exposure to heat and pressure which makes them appear layered.
• Non-foliated metamorphic rock


  These rocks don’t have layers
• Lava that cools so quickly that crystals do not have time to form will lead to igneous rocks with a glassy texture
• Fossils are found only in sedimentary rocks
• What rock-forming process occurs when hot magma comes near and heats up rock?

  Contact metamorphism
• A(n) rock is a solid mass of mineral material or other matter that occurs naturally.
• Rocks are generally classified as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.
• Intrusive igneous rocks form when magma hardens and cools.
• Slow cooling produces igneous rocks with large crystals and a(n) coarse texture.
• The most common intrusive igneous rock is granite
• The breaking down of a rock by rain, wind, or ice is known as weathering
• A metamorphic rock that has grains arranged in bands is said to be foliated.
• Sandstone is an example of sedimentary rock
• Igneous rock


  This type of rock is made of molten magma
• Minerals are the building blocks of rocks, inorganic, naturally-occurring chemical compounds with a crystalline structure
• Color


  It refers to the wavelengths of light reflected by the minerals.
• Luster


  It describes how light is reflected from the mineral’s surface
• Streak


  This is the color of the mineral when it is powdered
• Hardness


  This refers to how resistant a mineral is to scratching
• Cleavage 


  refers to the tendency of a mineral to break along preferred planes called zones of weakness
• Fracture


  is produced if a mineral doesn’t break along zones of weakness
• Density


  This refers to the ratio between a mineral’s weight and the weight of a specific volume of water
• Tenacity


  This describes how well a mineral handles stress, such as breaking, crushing, bending, or tearing