Minerals and Rocks study quiz

On the Mohs hardness scale, here are some of the rankings of various minerals: Gypsum – 2, Calcite – 3, Fluorite – 4, Feldspar – 6. Which item below is hard enough to scratch fluorite but not hard enough to scratch feldspar?

• A wire nail, which has a hardness of 4.5.

• A fingernail, which has a hardness of 2.5.

• A streak plate, which has a hardness of 6.5.

• A copper wire, which has a hardness of 3.5.

Coal, which is made from dead plants, is a solid, is naturally occurring, and has a definite chemical composition. Which statement below describes whether or not coal is a mineral?

• Coal is a mineral because it is made from dead plants, which are naturally occurring.

• Coal is a mineral because it is made from dead plants, which makes it organic.

• Coal is not a mineral because it is made from dead plants, which makes it organic.

• Coal is not a mineral because it is made from dead plants so it is not naturally occurring.

_____________ is the process that moves large amounts of rock up to Earth’s surface and to higher elevations.

• Uplift

• Erosion

• Deposition

• Weathering

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

In igneous rock formation, ____________ or ____________ cools, forming mineral crystals, which make up the grains of igneous rock.

• Magma or lava

• Sand or clay

• Water or air

• Soil or gravel

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a mineral?

• It must be a solid.

• It must have a streak.

Why is a diamond found in nature a mineral but a diamond created in a lab is not?

• A diamond created in a lab is man-made, and minerals must be naturally occurring rather than made by humans.

• A diamond found in nature is made from organic materials, and one characteristic of a mineral is that it must be made from organic materials.

• A diamond created in a lab uses smaller minerals put together to make one big mineral, and diamonds found in nature do not.

• A diamond found in nature has a definite chemical makeup, but no one knows what elements are found in a lab-created diamond.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3

Fragments of rocks and rock material that are loose or suspended in water are known as:

• Streak

• Sediment

• Erosion

• Crystallization

Which type of rocks undergo extreme temperatures but do not melt?

• Sedimentary

• Igneous

• Metamorphic

• Crystallization

In the rock cycle, in order for metamorphic rock to become igneous, what would have to happen first?

• It would have to undergo melting, where the magma would then cool and become igneous rock.

• It would have to undergo extreme heat and pressure, where it would then cool and become igneous rock.

• It would have to be uplifted, where it could then undergo weathering and erosion.

• It would have to undergo compaction and cementation.

In the formation of sedimentary rock, which event would happen next? Uplift → weathering → erosion → ________________

• Cementation

• Rock

• Compaction

• Deposition