Transcript Elements in Earth Science

Elements in Earth Science
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Each element is made of atoms that
are the same
Each atom is made of protons,
neutrons, and electrons
Most Common Elements in Earth
Science
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Oxygen
Silicon
Aluminum
Iron
Calcium
O
Si
Al
Fe
Ca
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Sodium
Potassium
Magnesium
Titanium
Hydrogen
Na
K
Mg
Ti
H
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In general …
simpler elements
are more common
In general … the
more familiar an
element, the more
abundant
Minerals
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Is an element or compound found
naturally in rocks and soils.
There are more than 3500 named
minerals.
New minerals are being found every
year.
Characteristics of Minerals
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All are solids
Form naturally
Never part of living things
Definite chemical makeup
Definite atomic pattern
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Slow cooling
minerals form
large crystals
Fast cooling
minerals form
small crystals
Rocks
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Made up of one or more minerals
3 types: Igneous, Sedimentary,
Metamorphic
Igneous
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Fire formed
Cools and hardens
from magma
Magma is in the
earth
Lava is on the
earth
2 types of Igneous
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Intrusive – cools
inside Earth
Cools slowly
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Extrusive – cools
outside Earth
Cools quickly
Intrusive
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Granite – most
common,
“mountain guts”
Diorite – iron and
magnesium
Gabbro – dark,
large crystals
Peridotite – green,
most of upper
crust
Extrusive
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Basalt – common,
hard, dark
Andesite – began
cooling in crust
finished on surface
large/small crystals
Rhyolite – cooled
slowly then fast
Pumice – light, spongy
look
Obsidian – volcanic
glass, cools fast
Sedimentary
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Layers of particles that are moved
from one place to another.
3 types: Clastic, Chemical, Organic
Clastic
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Most common
Made of other
rocks
Particles
accumulate and
harden
Weathering is an
active process
2 Processes cause clastics to harden
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Weight of upper
layers squeeze out
liquids
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Minerals dissolved
in ground water
act as cement
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Conglomerate –
pebble pieces,
rounded
Breccia – boulder
pieces, sharp
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Sandstone –
sandsized quartz,
variety of colors
Shale – most
common, mud,
clay, silts
Chemical
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Limestone – 50%
calcite from
seashells
Coquina – large
pieces of shell
Chalk –
microscopic pieces
of shell
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Halite – hard,
created by
evaporation
Gypsum – soft,
created by
evaporation
Chert – hard,
created by heat
Organic
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Coal – black,
coarse, decayed
plant life
Special Features of Sedimentary Rocks
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Layering (bedding)
Fossils
Geode (minerals in
a hole or cavity)
Concretions
(minerals form
around a grain or
fossil)
Metamorphic
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Created by 1 of 2 processes
Regional process – most common, heat
and pressure over large area
Contact – heat and pressure next to
magma chambers
2 types: Foliated, Nonfoliated
Foliated
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“layered” rocks
Slate – made from
shale
Gneiss – made
from granite
Nonfoliated
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No ‘layers’
Marble – made
from limestone
Quartzite – made
from quartz