Alloy A
metal that contains more than one kind of metal atoms.
Alteration
The changing of mineral composition in a rock.
Banded Iron Formation
(BIF) Iron-rich sedimentary layers that consist of
alterating red iron-rich chert and grey beds of iron oxide.
Base metals
Metals that are mined, but are not considered precious metals, e. g.
zinc, lead, copper and tin.
Batholith A
huge intrusive igneous rock body which has been formed by the intrusion
of many plutons.
Bedrock Rock
that is attached to the Earth's crust.
Black smoker
The mineral cloud that is formed when hot water sprinkles our of a
mid-oceanic ridge.
Buoyancy The
upward force that acts on a less dense object which is floating in
denser material (e. g. iceberg in the water).
Caldera A
depression that forms after an eruption of a volcano when the centre
collapses and falls into the magma chamber below.
Cement
Mineral material that fills the spaces between grains in a rock.
Chemical weathering
The process in which chemical reactions are responsible for changes in
mineralisation after the rock comes in contact with air or water.
Cleavage The
way a mineral breaks along lines of weakness.
Compositional banding
A type of metamorphic foliation with alterating bands of dark and light
minerals, which is found in gneiss.
Dike A
vertical intrusion that cuts across a rock.
Landslide A
sudden movement of rock down along a non-vertical slope.
Lava Magma
that has been brought to the Earth's surface by a volcanic
eruption.
Mafic A term
to describe igneous rocks that contain predominantly ferromagnetic
minerals (they
are dark in colour as opposed to felsic igneous rocks).
Magma Molten
rock under the surface of the earth.
Meteorite A
piece of rock or metal from space that has landed on the Earth (as
opposed to comet,
which is a piece of space material that orbits the sun but has not
landed on the Earth).
Mineral A
naturally occuring, solid and homogenous substance with an orderly
arrangement of atoms and a definable chemical composition.
Rain shadow
The inland side of a mountain range that doesn't get rain because
mountains stop the rain clouds from reaching the area.
Rock A
naturally occuring, coherent solid mass that consists of minerals or
glass.
Schistocity
Foliation that is caused by large, flat mica minerals.
Sediment The
loose material on top of the bedrock.
Shield volcano
A volcano with a broad dome and non-explosive, mafic lava.
Sill A
horizontal volcanic intrusion in the rock.
Soil
Sediment that has been affected by surface reactions with rainwater and
the addition of organic material.
Stratovolcano
A volcano with a tall dome and violently explosive, silica-rich felsic
lava.
Till A
glacial deposit consisting of mud, pebbles and rocks.
Topsoil The
top layer of soil, which is commonly dark in colour and rich in
nutrients.
Vein Mineral
accumulation that is formed by water or other hydrothermal
fluids in cracks of rock.
Vesicle The
holes in igneous rock (typically basalt) that are formed by air bubbles
in lava at the time when the lava cools and turns into rock.
Viscosity A
measurement of resistance of material to flow. Viscous lava is cool,
silica-rich and contains little volatiles. Non-viscous (low-viscous)
lava is hot, mafic and contains many volatiles.
Geology terms: An
erupting volcano. By Storm Crypt via Flickr.com
Volatiles
Elements or compounds that evaporate easily (e. g. water and carbon
dioxide).
Weathering
The breaking up of rock by near-surface chemical or physical processes.
Xenolith An
inclusion of a foreign rock in an igneous rock.
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