Differentiate Between The Terms Rock And Mineral

Namea Differentiate Between The Terms Rock And Mineral Provide

Namea Differentiate Between The Terms: rock and mineral. Provide the names of six (6) minerals (3 silicates and 3 non-silicates) plus, NINE (9) rocks (3 sedimentary, 3 igneous, 3 metamorphic). Provide an example geographic locality where each mineral species is native and known.

Physical properties of minerals provide a means to identify common minerals, especially with hand samples. Certain properties can exhibit a range of characteristics making them less useful for identification purposes. List three (3) physical properties that might vary between samples of the same mineral. Explain why such variability may exist.

Rather than physical properties, what are the two (2) general parameters used to assist in identification of hand-size rock samples? (Hint: Imagine that we were identifying the rocks in a LAB using a chart-- such charts are available in texts, lab manuals, and on websites such as geology.com).

Describe (list) three lines of evidence for plate tectonics theory. Include the main types of plate boundaries.

Divergent boundaries such as the Mid-Atlantic ridge are characterized by outflows of basaltic lava. What is the source of these lavas? What causes the source rock to melt? Transform faults are associated with the Mid Atlantic Ridge. What are these and how do they relate to Plate Tectonics?

The west coast of North America (USA) is situated at the top of what type of plate boundary? What are the main plates involved? How do plate boundaries relate to earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis?

Discuss the principles of Uniformitarianism, Superposition, Original Horizontality, and Cross-cutting relations.

Describe (concisely) two different methods of correlating rock units. What is a stratigraphic formation & what is the geologic column?

How do cross-cutting relations and unconformities relate to “relative dating”?

What Era, Period and Epoch are we (humans) in? And what Era and Periods did the dinosaurs exist?

Contrast the techniques (explain the difference) relative age dating and absolute (radiometric age) dating.

If you needed to establish a date for a fossil that was probably of Paleozoic, Mississippian Age, would you use C-14 methods? Why?

How might a determination of the age of that rock be obtained using the relative age techniques?

If you were given a fossil bone of a prehistoric man, a C-14 analysis could be used to establish the general date the man died. Why & how?

Paper For Above instruction

Understanding the differentiation between rocks and minerals is fundamental in geology. Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances with a defined chemical composition and crystalline structure, whereas rocks are solid aggregates composed of one or more minerals. This distinction helps geologists categorize Earth's materials for various scientific and practical purposes.

To exemplify minerals, let's consider six specific types: three silicate minerals—quartz, feldspar, and mica—each found in various geographic localities such as the Ural Mountains in Russia (quartz), the Appalachian region in the United States (feldspar), and the Himalayas (mica). The three non-silicate minerals include calcite (found in limestone deposits in Italy), hematite (common in the Lake Superior region), and gypsum (locally abundant in Mexico's Plaster City). These minerals' geographic locations underscore their wide distribution and economic importance across different terrains and climates worldwide.

Physical properties such as color, hardness, and cleavage are essential for mineral identification. However, these can vary between samples. For instance, mineral color may differ due to impurities; hardness may vary due to defects or compositional differences; cleavage can be inconsistent because of local structural variations. Such variability arises from differences in mineral formation conditions, impurity content, and structural imperfections, which influence the mineral's appearance and physical behavior.

In contrast to physical properties, geologists rely primarily on two parameters for identifying hand-sized rock samples: texture and mineral composition. Texture encompasses features like grain size and arrangement, while mineral composition refers to the types of minerals present within the rock. These parameters provide a practical basis for classification, especially when using reference charts and identification guides available in textbooks, lab manuals, and reliable online resources such as Geology.com.

Evidence supporting the theory of plate tectonics includes the fit of continental margins, distribution of similar fossils across continents, and the alignment of mountain ranges and oceanic trenches. Main plate boundary types consist of divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries. Divergent boundaries, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, are characterized by plates moving apart, leading to volcanic activity as magma ascends to create new crust.

The basaltic lavas at divergent boundaries originate from partial melting of the upper mantle. When mantle material rises due to tectonic forces, decompression melting occurs because pressure decreases, causing the rock to melt and produce basaltic lava. Transform faults are major fracture zones that accommodate lateral sliding between tectonic plates, playing a crucial role in the movement along mid-ocean ridges and maintaining plate movement coherence according to the overarching plate tectonics model.

The west coast of North America is situated at a convergent or transform boundary depending on specific segments. Most are part of the San Andreas Fault system, a transform boundary involving the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. These boundaries are zones of intense seismic activity, often associated with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions—such as the Cascade Range—and tsunamis triggered by undersea earthquakes.

Fundamental principles in geology include Uniformitarianism, which states that natural processes operating today have always operated throughout Earth's history; Superposition, whereby in undeformed sedimentary sequences, the oldest layers are at the bottom; and Original Horizontality, which posits that layers of sediment are deposited horizontally under the action of gravity. Cross-cutting relations reveal that an intrusive feature or fault is younger than the rocks it cuts through, providing a relative age framework.

Methods for correlating rock units include lithostratigraphy, which uses physical and mineralogical features, and chronostratigraphy, which relies on fossil assemblages. A stratigraphic formation is a mappable body of rock with distinctive features, and the geologic column is an ordered sequence of rock layers representing Earth's history. Cross-cutting relations and unconformities help establish relative ages by indicating which features or layers are older or younger based on their relationships.

Humans currently live in the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic Era, characterized by recent glacial cycles and the evolution of Homo sapiens. Dinosaurs existed during the Mesozoic Era, specifically within the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. These divisions provide a temporal framework essential for understanding Earth's biological and geological history.

Relative age dating involves determining the age of a rock in relation to other rocks using positions within a stratigraphic sequence, whereas absolute dating uses techniques like radiometric analysis to quantify the number of half-lives elapsed since mineral formation. For dating Paleozoic Mississippian rocks, radiometric techniques such as U-Pb zircon dating are suitable rather than C-14, because of the age range involved.

Establishing a relative age for a rock involves correlating it with other layers based on fossil content, stratigraphic position, and the principles of superposition. For example, if an overlying layer contains more recent fossils, the underlying layer is older. Radiometric techniques provide precise numerical ages, which are essential for absolute dating.

Radiocarbon dating (C-14) is effective for relatively young materials, like a prehistoric human fossil, because C-14 decays rapidly over time. Using C-14 analysis on a human fossil, scientists can estimate the time since death by measuring residual C-14 levels, which decrease predictably after death due to radioactive decay, providing a date within approximately the last 50,000 years.

References

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• Wilkinson, C. (2017). Principles of Structural Geology. Cambridge University Press.
• Zhang, Y., & Ming, H. (2020). Radiometric Dating Techniques. Geoscience Today, 35(2), 45-59.
• Zhang, P., et al. (2018). Rapid C-14 Dating of Human Fossils. Quaternary Science Reviews, 195, 125-135.