ERTH 2415 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Igneous Rock, Plate Tectonics, Planetary Differentiation
3 Dec 2015
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Erth 2415 - lecture 14: plate tectonics and volcanoes. Thin, low -density crust rich in silicon and oxygen: as a result of planetary differentiation: 8 elements form 98% of the crust. Silicon and oxygen account for 75% Oxygen more abundant than silicon: elements combine to form minerals. 4000 minerals known, 25 common: minerals are the building blocks of rocks, mineral naturally occurring inorganic solid with orderly internal. Minerals and rocks: structure and individual characteristics: rock solid aggregate of one or more minerals. Geochemistry studies structures of silicon and oxygen: basic building block is the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron molecule, tetrahedrons combine to form rings, chains, sheets and 3d structures. Silicates group of minerals containing silicon and oxygen combined with one or more other elements: most abundant mineral group in the earth"s crust. Rock cycle describes processes by which older rocks are made into new rocks theoretical concept predating plate tectonics.
