| Term | Definition |
|---|
| mineral | naturally occurring, inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition, and an orderly arrangement of atoms |
| crystal | a solid in which the atoms are arranged in orderly repeating patterns |
| magma | hot melted rock material |
| silicates | minerals that contain silicon and oxygen and usually one or more other elements |
| hardness | a measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched |
| luster | the way a mineral reflects light |
| specific gravity | a mineral is the ratio of its weight compared with the weight of an equal volume of water |
| streak | the color of a mineral when it is in a powered form |
| cleavage | minerals that break along smooth, flat surfaces |
| fracture | minerals that break with uneven, rough, or jagged surfaces |
| gems | highly prized minerals because they are rare and beautiful |
| ore | a mineral or rock that contains a useful substance that can be mined for profit |
| rock | a mixture of such minerals, rock fragments, volcanic glass, organic matter, or other natural materials |
| rock cycle | a model to show how rock slowly change through time |
| igneous rock | when hot magma cools and hardens |
| lava | When magma reaches Earth's surface and flows from volcanoes |
| intrusive | rocks that form from magma below the surface |
| extrusive | formed as lava cools on he surface of Earth |
| basaltic | dense, dark-colored rocks that form from magma that is rich and iron and magnesium |
| granitic | light-colored rocks of a lower density than basaltic rocks |
| metamorphic rocks | rocks that have changed because of changes in temperature and pressure or the presence of hot, watery fluids |
| foliated | when mineral grains line up in parallel layers |
| non-foliated | mineral grains grow and rearrange but they don't form layers |
| sediments | loose materials such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and bits of shell that have been moved by wind, water, ice, or gravity |
| sedimentary rock | forms when sediments are pressed and cemented together, r when minerals form from solutions |
| cementation | occurs when minerals are deposited between the pieces of sediment |
| continental drift | continents have moved slowly to their current locations |
| pangaea | "all land" |
| seafloor spreading | hot, less dense material below Earth's crust rises toward the surface at the mid-ocean ridges. Then flows sideways carying the seafloor away in both directions |
| plate tectonics | Earth's crust and part of the upper mantle are broken into sections |
| plates | move on a plastic-like layer of the mantle |
| lithosphere | about 100km thick and generally less dense than material underneath |
| asthensophere | plastic- like layer below the lithosphere |
| convection current | the entire cycle of heating, rising, cooling, and sinking |
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