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LITHOSPHERE

BIOSPHERE

Source: After

Christopherson,

2009, p. 14

Rocks and Minerals:

The Building Blocks of Landforms

1. Introduction

2. Minerals: the building blocks of rocks

3. Classification of rocks: the rock cycle

4. Rock types: igneous, sedimentary and

metamorphic rocks

Landforms: the sculpture analogy

The San Juan River near Mexican Hat, UT. Source: Christopherson, 2006, p.448.

See also Christopherson, 2012, p. 413.

Exogenic

processes Endogenic

processes

Interaction of exogenic and endogenic processes

Source: Christopherson, 2012, p. 305.

GRANITE: a common igneous rock.

Source: Minnesota Geological Survey

Minerals: the building blocks of rocks

Definition of a mineral:

1. A solid chemical compound, with a

2. characteristic chemical composition, and a

3. specific, regular architecture of atoms

Chlorine Sodium

Arrangement of atoms in the mineral halite (NaCl)

Halite crystals.

Source: Great South Mineral Catalog,

www.greatsouth.net.

Note cubic arrangement of

atoms produce cubic

crystals.

Organization of atoms in a quartz crystal. Quartz (SiO2) is a very common mineral in the Earth’s crust, since

its component atoms (silicon and oxygen) account for over 74% of

the Earth’s crust by weight.

Quartz crystals from Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Source: Mineralogy Database, webmineral.com; photo by Dave Barthelmy.

GRANITE: a common igneous rock.

Source: Minnesota Geological Survey

Storm Mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon:

an example of quartzite scenery

Source: www.utahpictures.com

Looking down Little Cottonwood Canyon:

an example of granite scenery

Source: www.utahpictures.com

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

ROCKS

Sedimentary

rocks

Metamorphic

rocks

Igneous

rocks

Heat &

pressure

Melting Crystallization

Lithification

Weathering,

erosion,

transportation,

deposition

THE ROCK CYCLE

Source: Christopherson, 2012, p. 307

Igneous rock formation from volcanic activity.

Source: Arenal volcano eruptions, Costa Rica, www.arenal.net

Cooling slowly-

large crystals

Cooling quickly-

small crystals

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

ROCKS

Intrusive Extrusive

GRANITE: a common igneous rock.

Source: Minnesota Geological Survey

Mineral composition of igneous rocks

FELSIC minerals contain feldspars and silica

(generally lighter in colour and weight)

MAFIC minerals contain magnesium and

ferric (iron) minerals (generally darker in

colour and heavier in weight)

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

ROCKS

Intrusive Extrusive

Felsic

Mafic

Felsic

Mafic

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

ROCKS

Intrusive Extrusive Clastic Chemical

(non-

clastic) Felsic

Mafic

Felsic

Mafic

Layers of sedimentary rocks in the Aquarius

Plateau, Escalante, UT.

Layers of sedimentary

rocks in Zion National

Park, UT.

Source: US National Park Service

Hot springs leaving chemical sedimentary rock

deposits- Opal Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs,

Yellowstone National Park.

Source: Yellowstone-Teton Epicenter, http://www.yellowstonegis.utah.edu

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

ROCKS

Intrusive Extrusive Clastic Chemical

(non-

clastic)

Foliated Non-

foliated

Felsic

Mafic

Felsic

Mafic

Metamorphic rocks and ‘parent’ rocks:

Limestone (sedimentary) marble (metamorphic)

Sandstone (sedimentary) quartzite (metamorphic)

Shale (sedimentary) slate (metamorphic)

Granite (igneous) gneiss (metamorphic)