Unit C: Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils

Mrs. TweedieFebruary 2006

What is a mineral?

A mineral is a solid object that was formed in nature and has never been alive.

What are the 3 properties of minerals?

1. Hardness2. Color3. Shape

Red Corundum

Ruby

Diamond

Beryl- Emerald

What is a rock?

A rock is made of minerals.

What is the crust?

The crust is the solid outside layer of the Earth. The crust is the part of the Earth you have seen.

What is the mantle?

The mantle is the middle layer. The crust sits on the mantle. The mantle is so hot that some of the rocks have nearly melted.

What is the core?The core is at the center of the earth. It is even hotter than the mantle. The core is made of iron. The outer part of the core is so hot that it is liquid. The inner part of the core is much hotter than the mantle but it is solid.

What is an Igneous Rock?

Igneous rock is rock that was once melted but has cooled and hardened.

What is a Sedimentary Rock?

Sedimentary rock forms from material that has settled into layers. The layers are squeezed together until they harden into rock.

What is the Rock Cycle?

The process of changing one type of rock into another type is called the rock cycle.

What is a Fossil?

A fossil is something that has lasted from a living thing that died long ago.

What is a mold?

A mold is the shape of a plant or animal left in sediments when the rock formed. The shell that made the mold in the picture dissolved.

What is a cast?

A cast is formed when mud or minerals fill a mold. The cast has the exact shape of the animal that made the mold.