Minerals and the Rock Cycle Flashcards
Grade 6 · Science · Flashcards
Vocabulary and concepts for identifying minerals and understanding how rocks transform through the rock cycle.
Flashcards
- Mineral
- Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid substance with a definite chemical formula and crystalline structure.
- Hardness
- A mineral's resistance to scratching; measured on the Mohs scale from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond).
- Luster
- The way a mineral reflects light; can be metallic or non-metallic (glassy, waxy, pearly, etc.).
- Streak
- The color of a mineral's powder when rubbed on a white porcelain tile; more reliable than surface color.
- Cleavage
- The tendency of a mineral to break along flat planes of weakness; related to crystal structure.
- Igneous rock
- Rock formed from cooled magma or lava; intrusive (underground, slow cooling, large crystals) or extrusive (surface, fast cooling, small crystals).
- Sedimentary rock
- Rock formed by compaction and cementation of sediment; often has visible layers (strata); may contain fossils.
- Metamorphic rock
- Rock transformed by heat and pressure without melting; often has foliation (banded layers) or recrystallized minerals.
- Magma
- Molten rock beneath Earth's surface.
- Lava
- Molten rock (magma) that reaches Earth's surface through volcanic activity.
- Weathering
- Physical or chemical breakdown of rock at the surface into smaller particles called sediment.
- Erosion
- Transport of weathered rock particles by water, wind, ice, or gravity to a new location where they are deposited.
- Rock cycle
- The continuous series of processes that form, break down, and re-form rocks among the three rock types over geologic time.
- Strata
- Distinct horizontal layers in sedimentary rock; each layer represents a different time period of deposition.
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