Geology Chapter 4

Which of the following is a characteristic of crystals and/or clasts that is not used in classifying a rock?

Density

Which of the following is not a required criterion for a substance to be classified as a mineral?

Human-made

Which of the following terms refers to the compound SiO2?

Silica

If a mineral lacks planes along which it may cleave, what will occur?

The mineral will fracture in an irregular pattern.

At which of the following scales would you be most successful in determining the mineral content of a rock?

Thin section

Over 90% of Earth's is composed of silicate minerals.

crust

Geologists and other scientists who study minerals are called________.

mineralogists

Minerals that do not contain silicon are classified as ______.

nonsilicates

The vast majority of Earth's crust is made of ______ minerals.

silicate

The way the grains and minerals are arranged is the ______ of the rock.

texture