Mineral - An inorganic chemical compound made up of one or more elements. It has specific properties including a unique crystal structure.
Igneous Rock - Rock that is a direct result of the cooling of molten earth material (magma or lava)
Extrusive - Igneous rock formed at the Earth's surface (Volcanism)Sedimentary Rock - Rock formed from the compressed layers of weathered earth materials as they are brought into an area by water, wind, ice, and gravityIntrusive - Igneous rock formed inside the Earth (Plutonism)
Clastic Rock - Sedimentatry Rock formed from loose rock materialsMetamorphic Rock - Rock, whether igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic, that has been physically transformed due to heating or pressure.Strata - Layers of the same type of sediments which represent conditions at the time of deposition
Volcanism - The movement of melted earth material (magma) up through the Earth's crust and onto the Earth's surface as lava and tephra.
Tephra - Pulverized rock and pyroclastic materials (rock pieces) ejected violently during a volcanic eruption
Composite Volcano - This is the classic, steep, conical volcano made up of alternating layers of lava and tephra.
Shield Volcano - This is a volcano formed by less viscous (more fluid) lava which leads to broad, gradual (not steep), often symmetrical slopes.
Cinder Cone - Small volcanic hills which emit little lava, but rather are composed mainly of tephra material which forms a steep pile of debris.
Caldera - The collapsed summit or crater of a volcano.
Focus - The orgin of earthquake movement within the Earth.
Epicenter - The point on the surface of the Earth directly above an earthquake's focus.
Seismograph - A device that records Earth Movement
Escarpment - A cliff created by a raised fault block along a fault boundary, also known as a fault scarp.
Isostacy - The "floating" of the crust on the denser but slightly fluid mantle materials which may explain crustal warping.
Graben - A block of Earth material moved downward between two faults
Horst - A block of Earth material moved upward between two faults
Syncline - Upward bends in folded crustal materials
Anticline - Downward bends in folded crustal materials
Denudation - The overall process of wearing down the Earth, including weathering, erosion, mass movement, and transportation.
Weathering The processes -- physical, chemical, or organic -- that break down rock material.
Crystallization - The process in which waterborne salts crystallize in rock cracks when the water evaporates.
Frost Wedging (Frost Action) - The breaking apart of rock due to pressure from water freezing in the rock cracks
Hydration - Water molecules attaching onto minerals in a rock which causes the rock to swell and crack.
Exfoliation (Pressure-Release Jointing) - As large granite surfaces have the top layer of rock removed, the decrease in weight leads to an expansion which results in the shedding of additional, concentric layers of rock.
Oxidation - The chemical change caused by oxygen (from water) combining with some minerals to create a new minerals (Oxides).
Hydrolysis - The chemical change caused by water combining with some minerals to create new minerals.
Solution - The dissolving of minerals (evaporites) in water without chemical change.
Mass Movement (Mass Wasting) - The downward movement of earth materials in response to gravity.
Soil Creep - The slow downslope movement of soil and regolith caused by the pull of gravity acting together with freezing & thawing, heating & cooling, wetting & drying, and living things.
Solifluction - The slow movement or flow of water saturated soil and regolith downslope due to the pull of gravity often over a frozen lower layer.
Landslide - The general term referring to any rapid downhill movement of rock and soil.
Rockslide (Debris Avalanche) - The movement of a very large mass of rock quickly downslope.
Rockfall - The periodic drop of a rock or group of rocks down a steep slope or cliff.
Slump (Rotational Slide) -The sagging and rotational movement of a mass of soil and rock due in part to water infiltration and lubrication of clay-rich soils below.
Earthflow (Translational Slide) - The flow of a moist, clay-rich soil and regolith mass downward along the surface of a slope.
Debris Flow (Mudflow) - The rapid flow of water thick with earth materials down valleys.
Lahar - Rainfall triggered mud and ash flows off a volcano