Tiny atoms make up humans, plants, houses, the air, and many of the things we interact with and require to survive. Rocks and minerals are also made up of atoms. Examples of atoms include sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), gold (Au), oxygen (O), sulfur (S), and carbon (C). Sometimes atoms join together to form new substances called compounds. Examples of compounds include salt (NaCl) and cuprite (Cu2O).
The periodic table is a tabular chart of the chemical elements arranged such that elements with similar properties are in the same vertical column or group. For example, Group 18 is called the Noble Gases, consisting of colorless, odorless, tasteless gases such as helium, neon, and argon. The gases of Group 18 are quite different from the solid metals of Group 11, which include copper, silver, and gold.
Matter, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, is the basic structural component of the universe. States of matter include solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
A mineral is any naturally occurring solid inorganic (doesn't originate from living organisms) material that has a definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties. Examples of minerals include substances made up of a single element like gold, silver, and mercury and substances made up of more than one element (compounds) such as quartz and talc.
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. Physical properties are characteristics of matter not involving a change in chemical composition (change in its elements). One identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is color.
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. One identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is luster. Luster is defined as the way in which the surface of any particular type of mineral reflects light.
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. An additional identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is hardness. Hardness is defined as the resistance to scratching, cutting, indentation, or abrasion of a metal or other solid material. When it comes to minerals, scientists use Mohs scale to measure hardness. Mohs Scale is a comparative scale of the hardness of minerals based on their ability to scratch one another. Mohs scale ranges from 1.0 (softest) to 10.0 (hardest).
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. Another identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is streak. Streak is the color of the powder of a rock or mineral left after it is scratched against a surface.
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. One identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is cleavage. Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to split cleanly along flat, smooth surfaces or plains.
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. One identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is fracture. Fracture is the tendency of a mineral to break into irregular pieces. There are different types of fracture, including crumbly, splintery, uneven, conchoidal, and hackly.
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. Yet another identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is tenacity. Tenacity is defined as is the ability of a mineral to resist shaping, bending, or breaking. For example, the featured mineral for the lesson, native silver (Ag) is both ductile (able to be drawn into thin wire) and malleable (able to be hammered into thin sheets).
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. Another identifying physical property of rocks and minerals is diaphaneity . Diaphaneity, more commonly known as transparency, is defined as is the ability of light to pass through a rock or mineral almost undisturbed, such that one can see through it clearly. Minerals range from transparent (almost all light passes through) to translucent (some light passes through) to opaque (little to no light passes through).
Rocks and minerals may be identified by one or more of their physical properties. The final studied physical property of rocks and minerals is fluorescence. Fluorescence is the emission of light by a material when stimulated by ultraviolet light, visible light, X-rays or other radiation.
Chemical properties include any properties of a substance that become evident during a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions may occur when substances are combined, when a substance breaks down into multiple products, or when substances are burned. Chemical reactions may change the chemical formula of a substance by breaking or forming chemical bonds between atoms and change the numbers and identities of its elements. Evidence of chemical reactions include change of color (e.g. metallic silver to yellow) and change of state (e.g. solid to liquid).
Gemstones, also called gems or precious stones, are typically minerals, are of substantial monetary value, and are prized for their beauty and shine. Located at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. and worth around $350 million dollars, the Hope Diamond is one of the most famous gemstones in the world.
Ore is a substance containing valuable metals or gems that can be separated out and sold at a profit. For example, Hematite (Fe2O3) is mined to extract iron, and galena (PbS) is mined to extract lead (Pb).
Rocks are defined as any natural material with a distinctive composition of minerals. Many rocks are composed of two or more minerals, but some are composed of just one type of mineral that has undergone changes. There are three major groups of rock that make up the crust of the Earth: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.
Igneous rocks are one of the three major groups of rock that make up the crust of the Earth: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling of molten rock, such as lava and magma. Igneous rocks are formed either below the surface of the Earth (intrusive) or on the surface (extrusive).
A volcano is a vent or fissure on the surface of a planet (usually in a mountainous form) with a magma chamber attached to the mantle of a planet or moon, periodically erupting forth lava and volcanic gases onto the surface. Volcanos are breathtaking, destructive, and deadly. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, pumice and volcanic ash smothered the Italian city of Pompeii.
Magma, the underground source of the lava that erupts from volcanos, forms when the rocks from the Earth's mantle melt. Magma cools to form intrusive igneous rocks under the surface of the Earth.
There are three major groups of rock that make up the crust of the Earth: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. There are two subgroups of igneous rocks, those formed below the surface of the Earth (intrusive from magma) and those formed on the surface (extrusive from lava). Intrusive rocks tend to have larger crystals than extrusive, as they cool slowly under the surface the Earth.
Magma forms when the rocks from the mantle melt. Magma becomes lava when it reaches the surface of the Earth. Lava cools to form extrusive igneous rocks above the surface of the Earth. Lava creates landforms including volcanos, domes, tubes, lakes, spines, and deltas.
There are three major groups of rock that make up the crust of the Earth: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. There are two subgroups of igneous rocks, those formed below the surface of the Earth (intrusive from magma) and those formed on the surface (extrusive from lava). Extrusive rocks tend to have smaller crystals than intrusive, as they cool relatively quickly on the surface of the Earth.
Geodes are rounded rocks hiding beautiful crystals within. Geodes form either as igneous rocks from bubbles in volcanic rock or as sedimentary rocks when water dissolves a cavity in a rock.
Metamorphic rocks start out as one kind of igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary rock. After being subjected to intense pressure and/or high temperatures, they undergo physical and chemical changes into new type of metamorphic rock.
Erosion is the result of having been worn away, as by a glacier on rock or the sea on a cliff face. Rocks are continually created, but they are also continually being destroyed by forces such as erosion.
Along with igneous and metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks are one of the three major groups of rock that make up the crust of the Earth. Sedimentary rocks are formed by the deposition of the weathered remains of other rocks, the results of biological activity, or precipitation from solution.
Caves are large, naturally-occurring cavities formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside. Caves are often formed by forces that erode or dissolve rocks and minerals, such as acidic groundwater, creating the large openings underground. Inside a cave, new rock is deposited on the roof and ground of caves as stalactites and stalagmites. Caves are often formed out of limestone, but may also be formed from chalk, dolomite, marble, and other rocks.
Stalactites and stalagmites are secondary mineral deposits of calcium carbonate or other minerals, in shapes similar to icicles. Stalactites hang from the roof of a cave, and stalagmites project upward from the ground of a cave.
Biologic rocks are sedimentary rocks created from the remains of living organisms that have died, accumulated, and then pressed and cemented together. Examples of biologic rocks include chalk, diatomite, coal, and coquina.
Fossils are rocks consisting of the mineralized remains of an animal or plant. This can include any preserved evidence of ancient life, including shells, imprints, burrows, and coprolites.
When a substance is radioactive, its atoms may eject protons, neutrons, or electrons. Humans cannot see this nuclear radiation, but can detect it using instruments such as Geiger counters. Nuclear radiation can be harmful to humans, causing them to become ill or even die. Naturally occurring radioactive rocks include uranium ore and thorium ore.
Planets, asteroids, comets, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites involve rocks and minerals in outer space. In this lesson, students learn the difference between them.
Lunar rocks are those on or from the Moon. Common lunar rocks and minerals include plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, olivine, basalt, and breccia. Rocks found on Earth are very similar to those found on the moon, leading scientists to propose the Giant-Impact Hypothesis.
Many Martian rocks and minerals are similar to those found on Earth. Common Martian minerals include plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine. Mars mainly has igneous rocks, but it also has sedimentary rocks. Rocks on Mars include mudstone, sandstone, shale, conglomerate, and basalt.
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