Rocks and Minerals

Anthracite: A dense shiny coal that has a high carbon content;
Asbestos: An incombustible, chemical-resistant, fibrous mineral used for fire-proofing;
Basalt: A hard, dense, dark volcanic rock;
Conglomerate: A rock consisting of pebbles and gravel cemented together;
Copper: A reddish brown element used to make coins, water pipes and electrical wires;
Crust: The exterior layer of the earth;
Crystal: A mineral form created when the atoms inside a mineral are arranged into some sort
of regular pattern;
often results in geometric shapes and shiny flat surfaces on the mineral;
Earthquake: A sudden movement of the earth's crust usually caused by the release of
pressure due to volcanic activity, or accumulated along geologic faults;
Erosion: The process of wearing away land by physical and chemical influences, such as
wind, water, and temperature changes;
Fault: A crack in the surface of the earth;
Feldspars: A group of abundant rock-forming minerals consisting mainly of silicates of
aluminum with varying amounts of potassium, calcium and sodium;
Fold: Bending of rock layers to show a hump or a dip;
Fossil: A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf
imprint, embedded in the earth's crust;
Geode: A hollow, usually sphere-like rock with crystals lining the inside wall;
Geologist: A scientist who specializes in the study of geology;
Geology: The science of the origin, history, and structure of the earth;
Glacier: A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from compacted snow;
Gneiss: A banded, granite-like metamorphic rock;
Gold: A yellow element that is quite rare - used in coins and precious objects;
Granite: A common, coarse-grained, hard igneous rock consisting chiefly of quartz , feldspar
and mica;
Ice ages: Periods of the earth's history during which large parts of the Earth's surface were
covered by glaciers several kilometers thick;
Ice field: Large expanse of frozen water at the base of a glacier;
Igneous rocks: Rocks formed from melted rock;
Iron: A soft metallic element often mixed with other elements to form materials of great
hardness and strength, such as steel;
Lava: Molten rock when it is ejected from the earth's crust;
Lead: A dense grayish element used in batteries and weights;
Magma: Molten rock beneath the earth's crust;
Marble: A streaked metamorphic rock formed when limestone or dolomite is subjected to high
temperatures and pressures, used especially in architecture and sculpture;
Limestone: A common sedimentary rock consisting mostly of calcium carbonate;
Luster: The brilliance or radiance of a rock or mineral sample;
Metamorphic rocks: Rocks that are formed when rocks are subjected to heat and pressure;
Mica: A mineral that is common in igneous and metamorphic rocks;
It forms crystals that can be split into very thin flat layers.
Mineral: A natural inorganic substance having a definite chemical composition;
Mohs scale: A scale used to describe the hardness of a mineral, ranging from 1 for the softest
to 10 for the hardest;
Moraine: An accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a
glacier;
Nickel: A silver-colored element used in coinage and plating of objects;
Paleontologist: A scientist who studies the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic
times;
Pumice: A light porous lava;
Quartz: A hard mineral composed of silicon and oxygen;
Rock: A naturally formed combination of mineral matter that makes up the Earth's crust;
Sandstone: A sedimentary rock formed by the compaction of sand with a natural cement, such
as silica;
Sediment: Material that settles to the bottom of a liquid;
Shale: A rock composed of layers of clay-like, fine-grained sediments;
Sedimentary rocks: Rocks formed from deposits of sediment;
Slate: A fine-grained metamorphic rock formed when shale is subjected to low temperatures
and pressures;
Splits into thin, smooth-surfaced layers;
Soil: The top layer of the earth's surface, suitable for the growth of plant life;
Streak test: A test in which a mineral sample is rubbed across a ceramic plate to determine
what color of markings are made;
Striations: Thin lines or scratches on the surface of a rock;
Soapstone: A soft metamorphic rock composed mostly of talc, and often used for carving;
Uranium: A heavy silvery-white metallic element, radioactive and toxic;
Volcanic crater: A bowl-shaped depression at the mouth of a volcano;
Weathering: Any of the chemical or mechanical processes by which rocks exposed to the
weather break down;
Zinc: A bluish-white, lustrous metallic element used to make several alloys;