CH 3 Questions
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Geology
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Apr 3, 2024
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Environmental Geology
Chapter Three Study Questions 1-10
1. What physical and chemical factors are the bases of
the rock classification system? What are the three classes of rocks, and how does each form? Identify one characteristic of each class that usually makes it readily distinguishable from the others.
The basis for rock classification involves physical properties like texture, mineral composition, and chemical characteristics. The various types include igneous rocks which are formed from the cooling and solidification of molten magma or lava. These usually have interlocking crystals. Sedimentary rocks are formed from the accumulation and cementation of sediments. This kind of rock formation contains fossils or layered structures. Lastly, there are metamorphic rocks that are formed by the alteration of preexisting rocks through heat and pressure. These often display foliation or recrystallization. 2. How and where do batholiths form? What type of rock most commonly forms in batholiths?
Batholiths form deep within the Earth's crust through the intrusion of large masses of magma. They are typically found in mountainous regions. The most common rock in batholiths is granite.
3. What are some of the planar surfaces in rocks that may be weak and thus lead to various types of slope failure?
Weak planar surfaces in rocks, such as bedding planes and foliation in metamorphic rocks, can contribute to various types of slope failure, including landslides and rockfalls.
4. How may structures in sedimentary rocks be used to reconstruct past environments?
Sedimentary structures like cross-bedding, ripple marks, and fossils can be used to reconstruct past environments. For example, cross-bedding may indicate the direction of ancient currents.
5. What is the most common mineral species? Name several rocks in which it is a prominent constituent.
Quartz is the most common mineral species. It is found in various rocks such as granite, sandstone, and quartzite.
6. What is mineral cleavage? How can it serve as an aid in identifying minerals?
Mineral cleavage refers to the way minerals break along specific planes. It can aid in mineral identification because different minerals have characteristic cleavage patterns.
7. The most common intrusive igneous rock is composed mostly of: (1) the most common mineral, and (2) a mineral of the most common mineral group.
Name the rock and its constituent minerals.
Granite is the most common intrusive igneous rock. It is composed mostly of quartz (the most common mineral) and feldspar (a mineral of the most common mineral group).
8. What mineral is found in both limestone and marble?
Calcite 9. Explain how Earth's interior is
layered.
Earth's interior is layered into the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The crust is composed of solid rock, the
mantle is semi-solid and convecting, the outer core is liquid iron-nickel, and the inner core is solid iron-nickel.
10. How and why does plate tectonics take place?
Plate tectonics is the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates.
It occurs due to the heat-driven convective currents in the mantle. Plates move apart at divergent boundaries, collide at convergent boundaries, and slide past each other at transform boundaries. This process is driven by heat from the
Earth's interior.
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