CANTILLEP, ACE MATTHEW F.

Geology 50

2011-04260

Glossary of Terms:

Aphanitic

A texture in igneous rocks where the crystals, if any, are too small to be seen readily with the naked eye. Andesite is a fine-grained, extrusive igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase with other minerals such as hornblende, pyroxene and biotite. The highest rank of coal. By definition, a coal with a fixed carbon content of over 91% on a dry ash-free basis. Anthracite coals have a bright luster, break with a conchoidal fracture, a semi-metallic luster and are difficult to ignite. Frequently referred to by the layman as "hard coal". A form of mechanical weathering that occurs when loose fragments or particles of rocks and minerals that are being transported, as by water or air, collide with each other or scrape the surfaces of stationary rocks. An erosional surface that separates rock units of differing dips. The rocks below the surface were deposited, deformed and eroded. The younger rocks above then accumulated upon the erosional surface. A secondary copper mineral frequently found in the oxidized zones of Cu-bearing ore deposits. A rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm A dark-colored fine-grained extrusive igneous rock composed largely of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene. Similar in composition to gabbro. Basalt is thought to be one of the main components of oceanic crust. The leading expert on igneous petrology in the twentieth century. Texture that is shaped like a bunch of grapes. A generally black or dark green form of mica that is a constituent of

Andesite

Anthracite

Abrasion

Angular

Azurite

Boulder Basalt

Bowen Bortryoidal Biotite

crystalline rocks and consists of a silicate of iron, magnesium, potassium, and aluminum Chert A microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline sedimentary rock material composed of SiO2. Occurs as nodules and concretionary masses and less frequently as a layered deposit. A sedimentary rock (such as shale, siltstone, sandstone or conglomerate) or sediment (such as mud, silt, sand, or pebbles). An accumulation of transported weathering debris. A soft limestone with a very fine texture that is usually white or light gray in color. It is formed mainly from the calcareous shell remains of microscopic marine organisms such as foraminifers or the calcareous remains from numerous types of marine algae. A rock fragment or grain resulting from the breakdown of larger rocks. A very widely distributed crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, found as limestone, chalk and marble Comprises of a soft bodied animal (polyp) that lives in a calcareous skeleton (corallum). Any of a group of dark, phaneritic, intrusive rocks that are the plutonic equivalents of andesite. A mineral CaMg(CO3)2 consisting of a calcium magnesium carbonate found in crystals and in extensive beds as a compact limestone An instrument with an edged or pointed end for making holes in hard substances by revolving or by a succession of blows A rare, naturally-occurring mineral composed of carbon. Each carbon atom in a diamond is surrounded by four other carbon atoms and connected to them by strong covalent bonds. The settling from suspension of transported sediments. Also, the precipitation of chemical sediments from mineral rich waters.

Clastic

Chalk

Clasts Calcite

Coral

Diorite

Dolomite

Drill

Diamond

Deposition

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Erosion

A general term applied to the wearing away and movement of earth materials by gravity, wind, water and ice. An igneous rock formed from lava that has flowed out onto the Earth's surface, characterized by rapid solidification and grains that are so small as to be barely visible to the naked eye. Sulfosalt mineral, copper arsenic sulfide (Cu3AsS4), that is occasionally an important ore of copper. It occurs as heavy, metallic-gray crystals and masses in veins and replacement deposits. A common greenish or brown pyroxene with the formula MgSiO3. Lightest stable subatomic particle known. Contrasting rocks formed under similar conditions. Mafic phaneritic rock type that contains 1090 modal % plagioclase more calcic than An50 plus pyroxene, FeTi oxides, with or without olivine; chemically equivalent to basalt. Aphanitic to fine phaneritic, granoblastic product of thermal metamorphism in contact metamorphic aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions. Relict bedding may be present. Common pelitic hornfelses may contain poikiloblastic cordierite and/or andalusite and are dark brown to black, tough, and may have conchoidal fracture if aphanitic. An igneous rock formed by the lithification of ash flow or pyroclastic flow deposits. A translucent gemstone consisting of either jadeite or nephrite that is typically green in color. Jade is a very durable stone and is used for a variety of jewelry and ornamental objects. Typically cut in the cabochon shape or carved. Glassy to aphanitic ultramafic rocks composed essentially of olivine and pyroxene that form in lava flows and shallow intrusions; contains >18 wt.% MgO and <1 wt.%

Extrusive

Enargite

Enstatite Electron Facies Gabbro

Hornfels

Ignimbrite

Jade

Komatiite

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(Na2O + K2O) Lahar Refers to a flowing mass of rock material mobilized by entrained water that moves by gravity down the slopes of a volcano and to the resulting deposit. Mnemonic adjective derived from magnesium and ferrous/ferric; used to describe a mineral or a rock that contains large concentrations of Mg and Fe. A type of gabbro that has more orthopyroxene than clinopyroxene. A sequence of variably altered oceanic rocks exposed onland in subduction zones Rocks of highly variable grain size in which individual crystals can be as much as several meters. One of the most abundant minerals in the earth's crust. Has a chemical composition of SiO2 and a hardness of seven. One of the index minerals in Moh's Hardness Scale. Occurs in sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. The fine-grained volcanic or extrusive rocks that are equivalent in composition to granite. Normally white, pink or gray in color. Strongly foliated metamorphic rock; exhibits high schistosity; commonly porphyroblastic and lineated. Weak to well developed segregation layering of felsic and mafic material may enhance the foliation expressed by preferred orientation of platy mineral grains. Felsic phaneritic rock that contains, relative to felsic minerals, >20 modal % quartz and a plagioclase to alkali feldspar ratio >9. Especially rich in Mg and Fe; generally have little or no feldspar.

Mafic

Norite

Ophiolite

Pegmatite

Quartz

Rhyolite

Schist

Tonalite

Ultramafic

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Vesicle

A smooth-walled, more or less spherical cavity in a magmatic rock formed by entrapment of a volatile fluid bubble during solidification of the melt; a pipe vesicle results from movement of the volatile bubble or the magma before solidification. Corresponding fabric is vesicular. Lithification process that consolidates loose vitroclasts hot enough to stick together when deposited. A preexisting rock that has been incorporated into magma without melting. When the magma crystallizes the preexisting rock fragment is known as a xenolith. The quantity of water, coal, gold or other resource that can be produced from a deposit. A group of hydrous aluminosilicates that are similar to the feldspars. They easily lose and regain their water of hydration and they fuse and swell when heated. Zeolites are frequently used in water softening, ion exchange and absorbent applications.

Welding

Xenolith

Yield

Zeolite

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