Download Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, and Soil

Rocks and Minerals
What is the study of the Earth? Geology
Rocks
1. What are rocks?
a. Solid nonliving objects made of multiple minerals.
2. What are the three classifications of rocks?
a. Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
3. How are rocks classified?
a. By properties, such as how they are formed, color, visible crystals or minerals,
grain pieces, patterns in the rock like stripes
4. Describe Igneous rock.
a. Was once melted but it has cooled and hardened (The melted material is
called magma or lava)
b. Can be glassy or grainy with crystals of different types of minerals
c. Example: granite
5. Describe Sedimentary rock.
a. Usually made up of pieces of rock called sediments that have been pressed
and cemented together.
b. May contain remains of plants or animals
c. Examples: sandstone and limestone
6. Describe Metamorphic rock.
a. Was once another type of rock deep inside Earth, but heat and the pressing of
the rocks above caused the minerals to change.
b. Examples: marble, slate
Minerals
7. What is the difference between rocks and minerals?
a. Rocks are made up of multiple ingredients (minerals), while minerals are
made up of just one ingredient (that mineral)
8. Describe minerals.
a. Solid
b. Formed in nature
c. Have never been alive
d. Have properties by which they can be identified
9. What are the four properties of a mineral?
a. Hardness
b. Color
c. Luster
d. Special properties
10. How is the hardness of a mineral measured?
a. It’s numbered 1-10 with 1 being the softest and 10 being the hardest.
(Diamond is the hardest mineral)
11. What is luster?
a. Describes how light bounces off a mineral
b. For example, shiny, pearly, glassy, or dull
12. What are some examples of special properties of minerals?
a. If an acid (vinegar) is placed on a mineral, it may bubble or fizz.
b. Some minerals split into thin sheets.
c. Some minerals have magnetic properties.
13. How is a mineral identification key used?
a. The key gives information about the properties of various minerals.
b. Properties of a given mineral are compared to those listed on the key.
Soil
14. What are the four types of soil?
a. Silt, Sand, Clay, and Humus
15. Which type of soil allows water to go through it quickly?
a. Sand
16. Which type of soil feels like powder and has grains which are smaller than sand?
a. Silt
17. What is humus made of? What is its color?
a. It is made up of decayed parts of once living plants and animals.
b. It is dark, soft, and crumbly.
18. Which type of soil is very sticky when wet?
a. Clay
19. What is a mixture of large and small grains, and has lots of humus?
a. Loam