Questions and Answers
What percentage of the Earth's crust is composed of silicate minerals?
Rocks have a specific chemical formula.
False
What is the primary difference between rocks and minerals?
Rocks can be organic or inorganic and do not have a specific chemical formula, whereas minerals are inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure.
Silicate minerals make up over ____% by mass of the Earth's crust.
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Match the following minerals with their classification:
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Which of the following characteristics is NOT used to classify rocks?
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Igneous rocks can only form from volcanic activity on the Earth's surface.
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What term describes the transformation of pre-existing rocks due to heat and pressure?
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Sedimentary rocks can be classified as either __________ or __________.
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Match the following types of rocks with their descriptions:
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Study Notes
Rocks and Minerals
- Rocks consist of two or more minerals or substances and must be solid and naturally occurring.
- Unlike minerals, rocks can be organic or inorganic, may have a crystalline structure, and lack a specific chemical formula.
- Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure.
- The Earth's crust is composed mainly of silicate minerals, which account for over 90% of its mass.
- Non-silicate minerals, making up less than 10% of the crust, include carbonates, oxides, sulfides, phosphates, and salts.
- Igneous rocks arise from the cooling of molten rock (magma/lava), classified as intrusive (plutonic) if formed underground, and extrusive (volcanic) if formed on the surface.
- Metamorphic rocks form from pre-existing rocks that undergo metamorphism due to heat, pressure, or chemically active fluids.
- Sedimentary rocks are categorized into detrital (formed from compacted particles) and chemical (formed from dissolved minerals precipitating out of water).
- "Mineraloids" include substances lacking crystal structure (e.g., mercury, opal) but may be classified as minerals in certain contexts.
- Organic minerals, despite being inorganic by definition, include exceptions like Whewellite, which have a definitive chemical formula.
Exogenic Processes
- Exogenic processes reduce Earth's relief and occur on its surface through weathering, erosion, mass wasting, and sedimentation.
- Weathering is the breakdown of rocks and minerals through physical or chemical means at the Earth’s surface.
- Erosion involves the removal of weathered materials by agents such as water, wind, glaciers, and gravity.
- Mechanical weathering (physical disintegration) includes abrasion, frost wedging, and salt crystal growth, often aided by water.
- Chemical weathering alters the molecular structure of rocks, with processes like dissolution, hydrolysis, oxidation, and carbonation affecting materials like limestone and chalk.
Endogenic Processes
- Endogenic processes generate relief by elevating and depressing land masses and are categorized into slow (diastrophism) and sudden movements.
- Diastrophism involves the deformation of the Earth's crust through folding and faulting, classified into epeirogenic (continent-forming) and orogenic (mountain-forming) movements.
- Volcanism refers to the eruption of magma from the Earth, while magmatism concerns the movement and solidification of magma, leading to new igneous rocks.
- Earthquakes are vibrations of the Earth's crust due to tectonic plate movements and are characterized by intensity (effects) and magnitude (measured using seismographs).
Activities
- Identify key geological features of rocks, minerals, and processes such as solidification of molten rock, composition of rocks, and characteristics that differentiate minerals and rocks.
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Description
Explore the essential concepts of rocks and minerals, including their categories and formation processes in this week 2 quiz. Additionally, delve into exogenic processes impacting the Earth's surface, such as weathering and erosion. Test your understanding of these fundamental Earth sciences.