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Unit of mass for gemstones equal to 200 milligrams (0.2 grams) |
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Element that readily loses electrons to form positive ions. Forms ionic bond with nonmetals. Ex: Gold |
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Readily gains electrons to form ionic bonds with metals. only 18 nonmetals. Ex: Hydrogen |
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Can be termed either a metal or nonmetal, has characteristics of both. Ex: Boron |
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| Chemical bond formed between a metal and nonmetal in which an electron is passed from a metal to a nonmetal to form a positive and negative atom. Those two are then attracted to each other. |
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| A form of bonding in which two atoms share electrons. |
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| Attraction or repulsion between molecules other than those due to covalent bonds. |
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A compound in which there is a central Silica atom. |
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A salt or ester of carbonic acid. |
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A chemical compound containing at least one oxygen atom and at least one other element. |
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| Chemical compounds containing sulfur. |
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| Chemical compound containing Halite. |
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Elements that occur in nature uncombined with other elements. Ex: Diamond (Carbon) |
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| Olivine, Pyroxene, Amphibole, Feldspar, Mica, Quartz. |
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Least descriptive way to classify minerals. |
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The state or quality of shining light. Metallic, glassy, pearl, or dull. |
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Shape of the crystals in a mineral. Cubic, Tetragonal, Hexagonal, Orthorhombric, Monoclinic, Triclinic. |
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Blocky in appearance. Ex: Flouride. |
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Long and slender (needle-like). Ex: Scapolite. |
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Prismatic (columnar). Ex: Calcite. |
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Short and stubby with diamond-shape. Ex: sulfur. |
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Stubby and tilted with matching faces. Ex: Bronchantite. |
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Usually flattened with sharp edges. Ex: Pectoclite. |
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| Color of mineral when it is powdered. |
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| Tendency of a mineral to break on smooth plains parallel to zones of weak bonding. |
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| Tendency of a mineral to break along curved surfaces without a definite shape. |
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Resistance to fracture. Moh's scale. |
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| The ratio of the density of a given substance to the density of water, when both are at the same temperature. |
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Used in testing minerals. Some minerals "fizz" with acid. |
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| A material or object that produces a magnetic field. |
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| A luminescence that is mostly found as an optical phenomenon in cold bodies, in which the molecular absorption of a photon triggers the emission of another photon with a longer wavelength. |
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Very unstable element. Radioactive decay/waste. |
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| When a ray of light arrives at an anisotropic crystal, it splits into two rays of polarised light which vibrate in perpendicular planes. |
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| Most stable form of calcium carbonate. |
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| A mineral composed of calcium fluoride. |
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Most abundant mineral in Earth's crust. Made of Silica Tetrahedra. |
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| Mineral form of iron oxide. |
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Makes up 60% of the Earth's crust. Plagioclase Feldspar. |
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| Common in Igneous and Metamorphic rocks. |
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| Muscovite is a common rock forming mineral found in igneous rocks such as granites and granitic pegmatites as well as metamorphic rocks such as schists. |
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A mineral that can be split into very thin sheets. Contains Iron and Magnesium. |
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| Iron Sulfide with a metallic luster. |
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| Ferrimagnetic iron oxide. |
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| A very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate. |
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| The natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral. |
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1. talc, 2. gypsum, 3. calcite, 4. flourite, 5. apatite, 6. feldspar, 7. quartz, 8. topaz, 9. corundum, 10. diamond. |
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| Igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic. |
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| Rocks formed by solidification of cooled magma (molten rock), with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. |
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Igneous rocks formed below the surface. Intrusive. |
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Igneous rocks formed above the surface. Extrusive. |
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Mafic is used for silicate minerals, magmas, and rocks which are relatively high in the heavier elements. Felsic, on the other hand, is used for silicate minerals, magmas, and rocks which have a lower percentage of the heavier elements. |
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| The physical appearance or character of a rock, such as grain size, shape, arrangement, and pattern at both the megascopic or microscopic surface feature levels. |
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| A variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. |
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One of the three main rock groups. Cover 75% of the Earth's land area. |
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| Composed of fragments of pre-existing rock. |
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| They are made up of large sediments like sand and pebbles. The sediment is so large that pressure alone cannot hold the rock together; it is also cemented together with dissolved minerals. |
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| A fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clay minerals or muds. |
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| A sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar. |
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| A measure of the void spaces in a material, and is measured as a fraction. |
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| Having pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass through. |
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| A material with a definite chemical composition. |
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| Chemical compounds consisting primarily of carbon and hydrogen. |
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| The building up of layers. |
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| The mineralized or otherwise preserved remains or traces (such as footprints) of animals, plants, and other organisms. |
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| Sedimentary structures that indicate agitation by water (current or waves) or wind. |
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| An irregular fracture formed by shrinkage of clay, silt, or mud under the drying effects of atmospheric conditions at the surface. |
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| A small knobbly rock or mineral cluster. |
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| A volume of sedimentary rock in which a mineral cement fills the porosity. |
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| Geological rock formations which occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. Geodes are essentially rock cavities or vugs with internal crystal formations or concentric banding. |
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| The result of the transformation of a pre-existing rock type. |
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| Regional or Barrovian metamorphism covers large areas of continental crust typically associated with mountain ranges, particularly subduction zones or the roots of previously eroded mountains. |
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| Any penetrative planar fabric present in rocks. |
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| Contact metamorphism occurs typically around intrusive igneous rocks as a result of the temperature increase caused by the intrusion of magma into cooler country rock. |
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| A common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. |
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| Molten rock that sometimes forms beneath the surface of the earth (or any other terrestrial planet) that often collects in a magma chamber. Magma may contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles. By definition, all igneous rock is formed from magma. |
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Molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption |
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| A basin of a roughly circular form within which occurs a vent (or vents) from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. |
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| A volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. |
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| Fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock. |
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More Silica = More Viscosity (less flow). |
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Found at the edge of the lithospheric plates and are of three types, convergent, divergent and conservative. |
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| Exceptionally hot areas with a lot of volcanic activity. |
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| High viscosity as compared to mafic lava. |
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| Low Viscosity as compared with felsic lava. |
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More explosive. High silica content. Near plate boundaries. |
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| A large emplacement of igneous intrusive (also called plutonic) rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust. |
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| An igneous intrusion (or concordant pluton) that has been injected between two layers of sedimentary rock. |
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A type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across - planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation
- massive rock formations, like igneous/magmatic intrusions and salt diapirs.
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| A tabular pluton that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. |
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When rocks are broken down without any change in the chemical nature of the rocks. The rocks are essentially torn apart by physical force, rather than by chemical breakdown. Disintegration. |
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The process by which rocks are decomposed, dissolved or loosened by chemical processes to form residual materials. Decomposition. |
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| A weathering process, mainly caused in arid areas by differential heating and cooling of rock surfaces. There needs to be a high diurnal temperature range (inside and outide). |
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| Where the temperature of groundwater is equal to atmospheric pressure. |
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| Bridge created when two areas of bedrock are eroded on either side. |
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A sedimentary rock. It is a natural chemical precipitate of carbonate minerals; typically Aragonite, but often recrystallized to or primarily Calcite. Produced by hot streams from caves. |
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| Underground region within which all openings filled with water. Top of zone of saturation is called water table. Water contained within zone of saturation is called groundwater. |
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| Zone immediately below ground surface, in which openings partially filled with air and partially with water trapped by molecular attraction. |
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| A line drawn to join the lowest points along the entire length of a streambed or valley in its downward slope, defining its deepest channel. |
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| A shallow stretch of a river or stream, where the current is above the average stream velocity and where the water forms small rippled waves as a result. |
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| An extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water. |
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| A fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. |
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| A fluvial process of erosion that lengthens a stream, a valley or a gully at its head and also enlarges its drainage basin. |
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| A river that is confined to a canyon or gorge, usually with a relatively narrow width and little or no flood plain, and often with meanders worn into the landscape. |
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| Floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river. |
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| A type of snow that has been left over from past seasons and has been recrystallized into a substance denser than névé. |
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