The Geosphere

Question	Answer
The Earth: Origin and composition	The Earth is the third closest planet to the Sun. It's a rocky planet and the only planet that has water in all three states. Four layers: Geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.
The origin of the Earth	Chemical reactions. Acretion of planetesimals. Denser materials (iron), to the Earth's interior and less dense materials (oxygen), move to the Earth's surface: Density differentiation
Studying the Earth's interior	Seismic method analyses the energy generated by earthquakes. Seismic waves can be detected by a sismograph
Layers of the geosphere	- The crust Continental crust Oceanic crust - The mantle Upper mantle Lower mantle -The core Outer core Inner core
Minerals	Minerals are solid, inorganic, natural materials. They have a definite chemical composition and usually have a crystaline structure.
Physical properties of minerals	- Optical -Mechanical - Magnetic
Optical properties	Relate to how a mineral reacts to light: - Habit - Streak - Colour - Lustre
Mechanical properties	Refer to how the mineral behaves when a force is applied to its surface. - Hardness: Mohs scale - Cleavage: the way a mineral breaks. - Tenacity: how easily a mineral breaks.
Magnetic properties	Some minerals behave like a magnet. The attract objects that contain iron and nickel.
Other properties of materials	- Transparency: transparent, translucent or opaque. - Density: Relation between the mass and volume.
The importance of minerals	Minerals are used mainly as metal ores, as raw materials for industry, or sold as gems or precious stones.
Metal ores	Native or noble minerals Image: 3352c070-5912-469d-8ea4-f137804442ea.PNG (image/PNG)
Raw materials for industry	Most abundant minerals found in the Earth's crust. Examples: uraninite, quartz and gypsum.
Gems or preiuous stones	They are used for jewellery Image: 7f5c24b3-3ba5-4a59-97ad-260b00a1cbf0.PNG (image/PNG)
Rocks	Rocks are natural aggregates made up of one or various different minerals. - Composition: Simple or homogeneous rocks: One mineral. Calcite. Complex or heterogeneous rocks: Variety of minerals. Granite. - Texture: Size and arrangement of the minerals in the rock.
Types of rocks according to their origin	Image: 1005e15e-28f3-4e2b-88a3-dfb8fac2243c.PNG (image/PNG)
Igneous rocks	Magma is a substance made up of melted materials mixed with gases and water, formed in the Earth's interior. - Volcanic igneous rocks or extrusive: Obsidian, pumice and basalt. - Plutoic igneous rocks or intrusive: Granite, syenite and gabbro.
Sedimentary rocks	Sediments are fragments of rock and organic material that have been transported and deposited by water and wind. Places: sedimentary basins. Process is called diagenesis or lithification.
Formation of sedimentary rocks	- Compaction is when sediments lose volume. - Cementation takes place after the water is lost and the salts form crystals.
Classification of sedimentary rocks	- Detrital sedimentary rocks: Made up of other rocks. Canglomerates, sandstone and clay. - Non-detrital sedimentary rocks: Are not made of fragments of other rocks. Limestone, gypsum, coal and petroleum. Coal and petroleum are combustible fossils.
Metamorphic rocks	Metamorphism is the process that changes a rock into a different type of rock. - Foliated: Parallel layers. Slate, Schist, Gneiss and Migmatite - Non- foliated: No layers. Marble and quartzite.
The rock cycle	The rock cycle is a series of processes that a rock goes through to transform into another type of rock.
The use of rocks	- Building materials: Cement, concrete, ceramics and glass. - Ornamental rocks. - Source of fosssil fuels. - Source of mineral for technological use.
Extraction of minerals and rocks	A deposit is the place where minerals or rocks are found in sufficient quantity to make extraction economically beneficial. - Superficial extractions: Opencast mines Quarries - Subterranean extractions: Underground mines and adits.

Next up

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by gomezolvega007 over 8 years ago