Rocks, Minerals & Soil Mind Map
← Rocks, Minerals & SoilHow minerals are identified, how the three rock types form, what soil is made of, and how people use these resources.
- mineralA natural, nonliving solid with a crystal structure and a set chemical makeup.Quartz is a mineral you can find in sand.
- inorganicNot based on carbon compounds typical of living things; most minerals belong to this category.Quartz is an inorganic solid made of silicon and oxygen.
- crystalA solid whose particles line up in a repeating pattern.Salt grows into a crystal shaped like a cube.
- quartzA hard (hardness 7), glassy mineral found in sand and many rocks.The white grains in that granite are quartz.
- calciteA common mineral that fizzes in weak acid. It makes up limestone and marble.A drop of vinegar made the calcite fizz.
- lusterHow a material reflects light, such as shiny, glassy, or dull.Pyrite has a metallic luster, like gold.
- streakThe color of a mineral’s powder when you rub it on a rough white tile.Hematite looks gray, but its streak is red-brown.
- hardnessHow well a material resists being scratched.Diamond has the highest hardness of any mineral.
- Mohs hardness scaleA 1-to-10 scale that ranks minerals by which ones can scratch others. Talc is 1; diamond is 10.On the Mohs hardness scale, quartz is a 7.
- cleavageThe way some minerals break along flat, smooth surfaces.Mica has cleavage, so it peels into thin sheets.
- magnetismAn interaction that can attract or repel magnets and attract some materials, such as iron.Magnetite shows magnetism when a paper clip sticks to it.
- igneous rockRock that forms when melted rock cools and hardens.Granite is an igneous rock with large crystals.
- sedimentary rockRock formed from compacted or cemented sediment, or from minerals deposited from water.Sandstone is a sedimentary rock made of sand grains.
- metamorphic rockRock that has been changed by heat and pressure without melting.Marble is a metamorphic rock that started as limestone.
- graniteA light-colored igneous rock with large crystals you can see. It cooled slowly underground.The kitchen counter is made of polished granite.
- basaltA dark igneous rock with tiny crystals. It forms from lava and makes up most ocean floor.Hawaii’s black beaches are made of broken basalt.
- obsidianA natural volcanic glass formed when lava cools too quickly for many crystals to grow.Obsidian breaks into sharp, glassy edges.
- sandstoneA sedimentary rock made of sand grains cemented together.You can feel the sand grains in a piece of sandstone.
- limestoneA sedimentary rock made mostly of calcite, often from shells of sea animals.Much of Ohio’s bedrock is limestone from ancient seas.
- marbleA metamorphic rock that forms from limestone. It is used for statues and buildings.The statue was carved from white marble.
- textureHow a rock looks and feels, based on the size and shape of its grains or crystals.Pumice has a bubbly texture full of holes.
- rock cycleThe slow, never-ending process in which rocks change from one type to another.In the rock cycle, any rock can become any other kind.
- magmaMelted rock below Earth’s surface.Magma cools slowly deep underground.
- lavaMelted rock that has come out onto Earth’s surface.Lava flowed down the side of the volcano.
- crystallizationForming crystals as melted rock cools and hardens.Slow crystallization makes large crystals.
- meltingA solid changing into a liquid as it takes in energy.Melting turns solid rock back into magma.
- weatheringThe breaking down of rock into smaller pieces by water, ice, wind, plants, or chemicals.Ice in cracks causes weathering of the sidewalk.
- erosionThe moving of rock and soil from one place to another by water, wind, ice, or gravity.The river’s erosion carved a deep valley.
- sedimentSmall pieces of rock, shell, or once-living things that are carried and dropped by water, wind, or ice.Sediment settled at the bottom of the lake.
- depositionThe dropping of rock pieces in a new place after they have been moved.Deposition built a sandbar where the river slowed down.
- compactionSqueezing layers of loose material together under the weight above them.Compaction pressed the mud layers tightly together.
- cementationMinerals in water gluing loose grains together into solid rock.Cementation turned loose sand into sandstone.
- soilLoose material on Earth’s surface made of weathered rock, water, air, and decayed living things.Plants take water and nutrients from the soil.
- humusThe dark, rich material in soil made from decayed plants and animals.Humus makes garden soil dark and rich.
- soil horizonOne layer of soil that differs in color and makeup from the layers above and below.Each soil horizon in the road cut had a different color.
- topsoilThe dark top layer of soil, with humus, minerals, and many plant roots.Farmers protect the topsoil because crops grow in it.
- subsoilThe layer under the top layer, where clay and minerals washed down from above collect.The subsoil was lighter in color and full of clay.
- bedrockThe solid rock that lies under soil and loose material.Workers dug down until they hit bedrock.
- permeableLetting water or air pass through.Sandy soil is permeable, so water drains quickly.
- geologic resourceA useful material from Earth, such as rock, minerals, soil, or fuel.Gravel for roads is a geologic resource.
- oreRock with enough of a valuable mineral or metal to be worth mining.Iron ore is melted down to make steel.
- extractionTaking a resource out of the ground, for example by mining or drilling.The extraction of coal changed the shape of the hills.
- nonrenewable resourceA resource that takes millions of years to form, so it can run out, such as coal or oil.Coal is a nonrenewable resource.
- reclamationRepairing land after mining so plants and animals can use it again.After reclamation, the old mine became a park.