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Geology
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What is Earth Science?
Earth Science is the study of the Earth and its neighbors in space. It is an exciting science with many interesting and practical applications. Some Earth scientists use their knowledge of the Earth to locate and develop energy and mineral resources. Others study the impact of human activity on Earth's environment and design methods to protect the planet. Many different sciences are used to learn about the earth, however, the four basic areas of Earth science study are: geology, meteorology, oceanography and astronomy. |
| Geology: Science of the Earth |
| Meteorology: Science of the Atmosphere |
| Oceanography: Science of the Oceans |
| Astronomy: Science of the Universe |
| Geology |
| Rocks |
| Minerals |
| Metals |
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Igneous Rocks Sedimentary Rocks and Weathering Metamorphic Rocks and Processes Matching Questions on Rocks Geologic Time Mass Wasting Water and River Systems Groundwater Glaciers and Glaciation Deserts and Wind Atmosphere and Ocean Shorelines Crustal Deformation The Earth's Interior Plate Tectonics Oceanic and Continental Crust Energy and Mineral Resources Planetary Geology |
| Elements, Compounds & Mixtures |
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| Metal |
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| Textiles |
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| Recycled |
| Adhesives |
| Biopolymers |
| Wood |
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What is Geology? What do Geologists do? How do geologists identify minerals? Does the mineral have a taste (for example, salt)? Is the mineral fluorescent (for example, scheelite)? Does the mineral give off an odor (for example, sulfur)? Is the mineral magnetic (for example, magnetite)? Does dilute hydrochloric acid cause the mineral to fizz or effervesce (for example, calcite)? Is the mineral radioactive (for example, uraninite)? What is a mineral? What is a rock? What is geology? What are rocks? What is the rock cycle? What is the rock record? What is the geologic cycle? What is soil? What is weathering? What does a soil grain size card look like? What does Bowen's Reaction Sequence look like? Where did all of the mountains come from? What are geologic maps? What are stratigrapic columns? What are geologic cross sections? What do geologic symbols look like? What geologic provinces are found in Idaho? What is the geologic time scale? What is a fossil? What are artifacts? What is plate tectonics? What was Pangea? What is a volcano? What are earthquakes? What is mass movement? Atoms, Elements and the Periodic Table Where do metals come from? What is a Metal? What is a Metal Detector? What are some applications of metals? What is Geology? Geology is the study of the Earth, the materials of which it is made, the structure of those materials, and the processes acting upon them. It includes the study of organisms that have inhabited our planet. An important part of geology is the study of how Earth’s materials, structures, processes and organisms have changed over time. What do Geologists do? Geologists work to understand the history of our planet. The better they can understand Earth’s history the better they can foresee how events and processes of the past might influence the future. Here are some examples: Geologists study earth processes: Many processes such as landslides, earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions can be hazardous to people. Geologists work to understand these processes well enough to avoid building important structures where they might be damaged. If geologists can prepare maps of areas that have flooded in the past they can prepare maps of areas that might be flooded in the future. These maps can be used to guide the development of communities and determine where flood protection or flood insurance is needed. Geologists study earth materials: People use earth materials every day. They use oil that is produced from wells, metals that are produced from mines, and water that has been drawn from streams or from underground. Geologists conduct studies that locate rocks that contain important metals, plan the mines that produce them and the methods used to remove the metals from the rocks. They do similar work to locate and produce oil, natural gas and ground water. Geologists study earth history: Today we are concerned about climate change. Many geologists are working to learn about the past climates of earth and how they have changed across time. This information is valuable to understand how our current climate is changing and what the results might be. Geologists work in a variety of settings. These include: natural resource companies, environmental consulting companies, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and universities. Many geologists do field work at least part of the time. Others spend their time in laboratories, classrooms or offices. All geologists prepare reports, do calculations and use computers. How do geologists identify minerals? Even geologists can have a difficult time identifying minerals. There are over 4,000 known minerals, and approximately 80-100 new ones are discovered each year. Of all these, only a few hundred are considered common. To help with identification, geologists must look closely at the physical properties of a mineral. These properties can include: color, streak, hardness, cleavage, specific gravity, crystal form, and others. Color Some minerals can be recognized by their color: azurite is always a deep blue and malachite is green. Generally, color alone is not the best tool in identification because color can be highly variable. Some minerals can occur in a variety of different colors due to impurities in the chemical makeup of the mineral. For example, calcite is commonly white, but can be blue, brown, yellow, orange, red, gray to black, or colorless. Streak A streak test is accomplished by rubbing the mineral on a porcelain plate, also known as a streak plate. The color of the streak left by the mineral is sometimes different from the color of the mineral itself. A streak test comes in handy when identifying minerals such as hematite. Hematite can be found in various colors from black to red, but it always leaves a red streak. Hardness Hardness is a measure of a mineral’s resistance to abrasion. A numerical value for hardness is determined using a scale that ranges from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). Developed by a German mineralogist, Friedrich Mohs, the Mohs Hardness Scale assigns hardness values to 10 representative minerals as well as other common materials (penny, knife blade, etc.). Talc is the softest mineral and diamond is the hardest mineral. Cleavage Cleavage can be observed in minerals that tend to break along one or more flat surfaces or planes. The number of cleavage planes, and their orientations relative to each other, can be diagnostic of particular minerals. Minerals that display cleavage include: calcite, halite, fluorite, topaz, and galena. However, not all minerals have cleavage, such as quartz and pyrite. Specific Gravity Specific gravity is the relative weight of the mineral to an equal volume of water. For example, gold has a specific gravity of 15-19.3 and is thus 15 to 19.3 times as heavy as water. It is possible to make a fairly good estimate of specific gravity by checking the mineral’s weight in your hand. Crystal Form & Mineral Habit Crystal form is responsible for the mineral’s geometric shape and arrangement of crystal faces. The crystal form will always remain the same in every sample found of the same mineral, although the crystal form is better displayed in some samples than in others. Sometimes, growth patterns, called the mineral habit, disguise the ideal form of the crystal. However, these habits can also aid in identification. Some commonly found habits include: botryoidal (which resembles a cluster of grapes), striated (parallel grooves on crystal faces), and acicular (needlelike). Other Physical Properties Does the mineral have a taste (for example, salt)? Is the mineral fluorescent (for example, scheelite)? Does the mineral give off an odor (for example, sulfur)? Is the mineral magnetic (for example, magnetite)? Does dilute hydrochloric acid cause the mineral to fizz or effervesce (for example, calcite)? Is the mineral radioactive (for example, uraninite)? |
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What is a mineral? A mineral is (generally) an inorganic, naturally occurring, organized crystalline structure composed of a single chemical compound or element. What is a rock? A rock is (generally) a natural solid composed of multiple crystals of one or more minerals. Although many rocks contain visible crystals of individual minerals, a rock itself does not have an overall crystalline structure. Where do metals come from? Most pure metals, like aluminium, silver and copper, come from the Earth's crust. They are found in ores - solid materials called minerals, usually occurring in rock, from which the pure metal has to be extracted. The properties of pure metals can be improved by mixing them with other metals to make alloys. Metals are often divided into: ferrous metals, which have iron in them (for example mild steel, carbon steel and cast iron) non-ferrous metals, which don't have iron in them (for example copper, aluminium, tin and lead). What is a Metal? What is a Metal Detector? What are some applications of metals? Atoms and Minerals Igneous Rocks Sedimentary Rocks and Weathering Metamorphic Rocks and Processes Matching Questions on Rocks Geologic Time Mass Wasting Water and River Systems Groundwater Glaciers and Glaciation Deserts and Wind Atmosphere and Ocean Shorelines Crustal Deformation The Earth's Interior Plate Tectonics Oceanic and Continental Crust Energy and Mineral Resources Planetary Geology |
| Geology Dictionary |
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| Recycled |
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