Earth Materials

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Basic Building Blocks

Atoms
Nucleus contains protons and neutrons
Electrons orbit the nucleus
Elements
Atoms with

Basic Building Blocks

Isotope – an atom with varying number of neutrons,

Basic Building Blocks

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http://chemistry.about.com/library/pdfs/PeriodicTableMuted.pdf

Basic Building Blocks

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Minerals

Naturally occurring
Inorganic
1 or more element
Solid, crystalline structure, atoms in a fixed

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Minerals

4,000+ minerals
Each has unique chemical and physical properties (for ex. -

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Rock Forming Minerals

Approximately 12 common minerals make up crust
Pyroxene and Amphibole

Rock Forming Minerals

Minerals classified on type of negatively charged ion within

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Rocks

Aggregate or assemblage of one or more types of minerals; many

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Igneous Rocks

Form via cooling magma
Intrusive cooled
Coarse grained
When magma breaches Earth’s

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Weathering

Breaking down of rocks
Physical weathering
Frost wedging
Plant roots
Crystal growth – minerals precipitate

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Physical Weathering

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Chemical Weathering

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Sedimentary Rocks

Weathering results in sediment
Compacted and cemented sediment = sedimentary

Two Types of Sedimentary Rocks

Detrital – made of preexisting rock &

Sedimentary Rocks

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Metamorphic Rocks

Changes through heat and pressure, not enough to melt rock.

Contact Metamorphism

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Regional Metamorphism

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Foliation

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Figure 3.27, page 84

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Rock Cycle

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Rocks as Indicators of the Past

Figure 3.30, page 87

Figure 3.31, page