1-28-2014
1. Science is knowledge
2. Strictly speaking this knowledge must be gained a certain way to give it some credibility. Science is due in part because we don’t trust each other.
3. Is empirical, and does not lead to “facts”; only theories.
4. Does not guarantee results.
5. Method
a. Begin with a question
b. Do some background research
c. Make a prediction ( hypothesis)
d. Try to prove your hypothesis is right
e. Experiment and/ or observe (collect data)
f. Analyze and interpret data
g. Peer review/ publish/ more peer review
h. Repeat again
i. With the exception of IPR (Intellectual property rights, patents, copyrights, etc)
6. Granite is the most common rock on the earth (igneous)
7. A theory is out there for everybody to see
8. People will try to prove your theory wrong (if it’s interesting enough)
9. If people can’t prove it wrong, you have a strong theory. Strong theories tend to rely on lots of supporting evidence, and may still be wrong.
10. Most of science involves scientists arguing with each other about esoteric, but often important things.
11. Most science is contentious
12. Pseudoscience
a. Appeals to emotion, fear, desie
b. Lacks adequate supporting evidence; poor experimental methods ( or none at all)
c. Results are inconsistent, or reported subjectively
d. Not peer-reviewed
e. Ignores bad data, and/or falsifies data
13. What is a mineral
a. Naturally occurring solid
b. Inorganic
c. Crystalline
d. Specific chemical composition
e. Crystallization is growth from a medium(usually a liquid) of a solid whose atoms form well-ordered geometric arrangement
f. Crystallization produces solid crystals whose external form reflects the internal atomic arrangement.
g. How minerals form
i. Freezing(from magma/lava) ii. Water(cavern, geodes) sedimentary iii. Heat + Pressure(metamorphism)
14. Cleavage
Three general types of rocks
Igneous
- forms from lava/magma - Melting +freezing
-granite
- basalt
-pumice
-rhyolite
-gabbro
-obsidian (not crystalline)
Metamorphic
Forms by heat and/or pressure
-change in shape and chemistry
-Marble
-Slate
-schist
-gneiss
Sedimentary
Weathering (erosion) + lithification
Sand/cobbles/
sandstone
-limestone
shale
desposition – bunch of pebbles pile up
Various mechanical processes that can act to cause rocks to weather include:
Frost wedging
Pressure release fracturing
Exfoliation joints – crack in a rock
Which of the following types of weathering in results of – pressure and release fracturing
Various mechanical processes that can act rocks to weather include: organic activity: plant root growth
Organic activity: people
Thermal expansion and contraction
Three examples of abrasions: flowing ice (glaciers) that causes grinding and abrasion of rocks
River streams colliding into other rocks.
Wind
Mechanical processes can greatly affect the rate of rock weathering by dramatically increasing the surface area that is susceptible to chemical weathering
Hydrolysis turns feldspar into clay
Hydrolysis: absorption of water into the crystal structures of silicates and removal of some components of the structure In solution (carried away in water)
Chemical weathering may occur by dissolution and reaction of minerals generally by interaction with water
Common types of chemical weathering reactions include: oxidation occurs at earth’s surface
Ferromagnesian silicate minerals like augite, hornblende, olivine, and biotite are especially susceptible to oxidation
Chemical weathering may occur by dissolution and reaction of minerals generally by interaction with water
Common types of chemical reaction weathering reactions include:
Dissolution is when minerals and rocks dissolve
Carbonate minerals like calcite are especially susceptible to dissolution
Erosion is the physical removal of weathered rock material (sediment) from its place of origin
Weather + transport
Grain (Clast) – particle of sediment
Weather chemically ( calcite) – may be composed of an accumulation of