GEOG 1113 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Plate Tectonics, Continental Crust, Convergent Boundary
Document Summary
A mineral is an inorganic (nonliving) natural compound having a specific chemical formula and possessing a crystalline structure. A rock is an assemblage of minerals bound together, or a mass of a single mineral, or undifferentiated materal, or even solid organic material (such as coal) Three basic rocks: igneous (fire-formed, molten, sedimentary (from setting out, metamorphic (altered) Two types of igneous rocks: plutonic (intrusive, volcanic (extrusive) The term sediment comes from the latin word sedimentum meaning a settling . Sediments are loose particles of former rocks (also termed detritus ) ranging from mineral grains to boulders. In 1912, german geophysicist and meteorologist alfred wegener presented an idea that challenged long held assumptions in geology, and three years later published his book. Wegener concluded that all landmasses migrate, and that approximately 225 m. y. a. they formed one supercontinent that he named pangea, meaning all earth . Plate tectonics: a modern version of an old idea.
