Unit 6- Rocks and Minerals Flashcards

Front

Luster

Back

The way a mineral reflects light

Front

Silicate

Back

Four oxygen joined to one silicon atom in a tetrahedron

Front

Mineral

Back

A solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence and an orderly crystalline structure

Front

Fracture

Back

When a mineral breaks the edges are rough, rounded, grainy, rough and inconsistent.

Front

Streak

Back

The color of a mineral's powder when rubbed on porcelain plate, reliable trait because it is not affected by weathering like surface color

Front

Cleavage

Back

A mineral's ability to split easily along even planes in a consistent manner when broken

Front

Hardness

Back

A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched

Front

Rock

Back

A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter

Front

Sedimentary

Back

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

Front

Clastic

Back

A sedimentary rock composed of weathered fragments of older rock.