Download The Lithosphere and the Hydrosphere

The Lithosphere
1. The Lithosphere
• The lithosphere is the
hard shell of the Earth,
consisting of the crust and
the topmost part of the
upper mantle.
• It is an average of 100km
thick.
• It contains the minerals,
rocks and soils that
humans have used for
building materials, metals
and agriculture.
Rocks
•
•
•
Rocks are heterogenous solids
composed of many minerals.
The physical and chemical properties of
rocks are not strictly defined.
There are 3 types of rocks:
1. Igneous
2. Sedimentary
3. Metamorphic
1. Igneous Rocks
• Formed when magma (molten rock) cools
and solidifies
– eg: granite
2. Sedimentary Rocks
• Formed by the accumulation and
compaction of debris at the bottom of
lakes and oceans.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock used in
construction
3. Metamorphic Rocks
• Former igneous or sedimentary rocks that
have been transformed by heat or
pressure underground.
– eg: granite turns to gneiss
– eg: limestone turns to marble
Rock Cycle
PDF
Minerals
• Minerals are solid inorganic substances
with clearly defined composition and
properties.
• In most minerals atoms are organized in
the form of identically shaped crystals.
• Each mineral has its own distinct chemical
composition.
• 4000 different minerals exist on Earth.
Examples of Minerals
• Gold (Au)
• Copper (Cu)
• Iron (Fe)
• Quartz (SiO2)
• Copper sulfate
(CuSO4)
ST
EST
AST
Gold Ore
Quartz
Classifying Minerals
Minerals are classified according to the
following 4 properties:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Colour
Transparency
Hardness
Streak
1. Colour
• Idiochromatic minerals have a
characteristic colour.
eg: azurite is blue
• Allochromatic minerals vary in colour.
eg: quartz
2. Transparency
Minerals are one of the following:
• Transparent (let light pass through)
• Translucent (let light through but blurred)
• Opaque (no light passes through)
3. Hardness
• Minerals are classified according to how
hard they are.
• Mohs scale assigns a value from 1 to 10
to indicate a mineral’s hardness.
– Talc is soft and scores a 1 on Mohs scale
– Quartz scores a 7
– Diamond scores a 10
4. Streak
• When a mineral is rubbed on a surface it
leaves a powder streak that is a
characteristic colour for that mineral.
Identifying Minerals 7:54
Mining of Minerals
Mining of Minerals
• Minerals are extracted from rock ores
which are mined from the lithosphere.
• Quebec is known for large deposits of
gold, copper, zinc, and most recently
diamonds.
• Once the ore is extracted, the mineral is
separated from the rock by chemical and
physical means.
Identifying Minerals Bonus
Activity