Planet Earth PDF

Planet Earth Unit Overview 1. Earth’s Composition 3. Sudden Changes to a. Minerals Earth’s Surface b. Rocks a. Earthquakes c. Rock Cycle b. Volcanoes 2. Gradual Changes to 4. Geological Time Earth’s Surface...

Planet Earth Unit Overview 1. Earth’s Composition 3. Sudden Changes to a. Minerals Earth’s Surface b. Rocks a. Earthquakes c. Rock Cycle b. Volcanoes 2. Gradual Changes to 4. Geological Time Earth’s Surface c. Fossils a. Continental Drift d. Scales b. Plate Tectonics e. Half-Life c. Erosion & Deposition d. Mountain Formation Earth’s Composition In this unit we will talk about the CRUST - a thin layer containing rocks and minerals Basic Vocabulary Rock - made up of one or more minerals Mineral - pure, naturally occurring, non-living, crystalline substances Element - pure substance; minerals are made of one or more elements What will I be learning about? Rocks and Minerals Rocks vs. Minerals Most of the Earth is made up of rocks. Rocks themselves are made up from minerals *If you think of rocks as a language, minerals represent the different letters. Each word (rocks) would be made up of different letters (minerals).  There are about 3000 different types of minerals on Earth.  If rocks are made from minerals, what are minerals made from? Minerals are made from elements ○ A mineral can be made from a single element such as copper or gold. ○ Minerals can also be made up of different elements combined together. When elements combine together, they are called a compound (Ex: the mineral Salt is made of the two elements, sodium and chlorine). Minerals are found in your body. Example: Iron helps your blood carry oxygen Example: Calcium helps to build your bones Identifying Minerals: Properties Identifying Minerals There are many different types of minerals and rocks so geologists have many criteria for their identification: 1. Lustre 5. Crystal shape 2. Colour 6. Transparency 3. Streak 7. Moh's Hardness Scale 4. Breaking Properties: Cleavage and Fracture 1. Lustre Lustre: this refers to the 'shininess' of the mineral (how light is reflected off the surface) 2. Colour Colour: The colour of the mineral. Be specific when you give colour ex “dark green” vs “green” 3. Streak Streak is the color of a mineral in powder form. You can find it by rubbing it across a streak plate 4. Breaking Properties Cleavage - mineral breaks along a flat surface or into sheets Fracture - when a mineral breaks with lots of jagged/rough edges 5. Crystal Shape Describes the shape of the mineral. 6. Transparency Describes how much light can pass through the mineral (see through or not). Transparent, Translucent, Opaque 7. Moh’s Hardness Scale A scale that determines how hard the mineral is based on the ability of one mineral to scratch another. Minerals