MAGMA: molten material beneath or within the earth's crust, from which igneous
rock is formed.
MOLTEN: liquefied by heat; in a state of fusion; melted: molten lead.
LAVA: the molten, fluid rock that issues from a volcano or volcanic vent.
METAMORPHOSIS: a form resulting from any such change.
SEDIMENT: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
ALIGN: to fall or come into
ERODE: to grind or wear down or away or become ground or worn down or away
4-12-11
IGNEOUS: produced under conditions involving intense heat, as rocks of volcanic
origin or rocks crystallized from molten magma.
SEDIMENTARY: of, pertaining to, or of the nature of sediment
METAMORPHIC: pertaining to or characterized by change of form, or
metamorphosis.
MAGMA: molten material beneath or within the earth's crust, from which igneous
rock is formed.
ROCK CYCLE: the process by which rocks are formed, altered, destroyed, and
reformed by geological processes and which is recurrent, returning to a starting
point
4-13-11
WEATHERING: the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed
rock to decompose.
SEDIMENTS: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS: made from broken pieces of other rocks.
MECHANICAL WEATHERING: the erosion or breakdown of rock into smaller
fragments by natural physical agents with no chemicals involved; also called
disintegration
CHEMICAL WEATHERING: is the process by which rocks are decomposed, dissolved
or loosened by chemical processes to form residual materials. Some of the proc
CARBONIC ACID: the acid, H 2 CO 3, formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water,
known in the form of its salts and esters, the carbonates.
4-14-11
EROSION: the act or state of eroding; state of being eroded
WEATHERING: the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause
exposed rock to decompose.
RIVER DELTA: Deltas are the result of interacting fluvial (river) and, usually,
marine systems. However, they can form anywhere a stream flows into
shallower open water.
CANYONS: a deep valley with steep sides, often with a stream flowing
through it.
GLACIER: an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and
accumulating over the years and moving very slowly, either descending from
high mountains, as in valley glaciers, or moving outward from centers of
accumulation, as in continental glaciers.
GLACIAL EROSION: Glacial erosion is the slow process of a glacier moving
over a land mass and by friction causing the erosion of the rock and soil
below it.
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MINERAL: any of a class of substances occurring in nature, usually
comprising inorganic substances, as quartz or feldspar, of definite chemical
composition and usually of definite crystal structure, but sometimes also
including rocks formed by these substances as well as certain natural
products of organic origin, as asphalt or coal.
TRAIT: a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature:
bad traits of character.
HARDNESS: the state or quality of being hard: the hardness of ice.
MOHS SCALE: a scale of hardness used in mineralogy. Its degrees, in increasing
hardness, are: talc 1; gypsum 2; calcite 3; fluorite 4; apatite 5; feldspar 6; quartz
7; topaz 8; sapphire 9; diamond 10. Abbreviation: MSH
LUSTER: the state or quality of shining by reflecting light; glitter, sparkle, sheen,
or gloss: the luster of satin.
STREAK: a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color
CLEAVAGE: the act of cleaving or splitting
FRACTURE: the breaking of a bone, cartilage, or the like, or the resulting
condition. Compare comminuted fracture, complete fracture, compound fracture,
greenstick fracture, simple fracture.
Igneous
Granite
Obsidian
Sedimentary
Aphanitic
Metamorphic
Limestone
gneiss
Rock Salt
Marble
Coal
slate
1669
Danish mineralogist Nicolas Stnero
notes that sedimentary rocks are
found in the sea
1788
Scottish Geologies James Hutton
found that sedimentary rock is
found by erosion
1830
Sir Chorales Lyell Publishes
“principals of geography
Hardness
Color
Danish mineralogist
Colorless
Luster
Streak
Diamond
Surface reflects light
Cleavage
White with no color
Fracture