Minerals vs.

Rocks
Common silicate minerals:
Olivine- independent tetrahedra joined by Fe or
Mg
Pyroxene- single chains of linked tetrahedra
Amphibole- double chains of linked tetrahedra
Micas and Clays- 2-D sheets of linked tetrahedra
Quartz- 3-D framework of fully polymerized
tetrahedra
Feldspar- also a 3-D framework, but Al, Na, Ca, or
K can substitute

Minerals vs. Rocks

Common non-silicate minerals:
Calcite- CaCO3 a carbonate
Dolomite- CaMg(CO3)2
Apatite- Calcium phosphate (PO4)
Halite- NaCl
Gypsum- hydrated CaSO4

Rock Types

Igneous
Ultramafic
(hi Mg-Fe)

Mafic
(hi Mg-Fe)

Intermediate

Silicic
(hi Si-Al)

Volcanic

Basalt

Andesite

Rhyolite

Plutonic Peridotite

Gabbro

Diorite

Granite

Rock Types

Igneous

Polished slab of granite

10 cm across
Thin section of basalt
4 mm across

Rock Types

Sedimentary

Clastic

Chemical

> 2 mm

0.6 - 2 mm

Cobbles, Pebbles

Sand

Conglomerate

Sandstone

0.6 < 0.004 mm

0.004 mm
Silt

Clay
Shale

CaCO3

CaMg(CO3)2

SiO2

NaCl, KCl, etc.

Limestone

Dolostone

Chert

Evaporites

Metamorphic

2) The Earths Interior

General
Geological
Principles:
1) Geologic
Time

Geologic Time

Relative dating by superposition, cross-cutting

relationships, fossils and evolution

Geologic Time

Relative dating by superposition, cross-cutting

relationships, fossils and evolution
Absolute dating by radioactive decay (igneous)
1
# parent atoms

time

Isostasy
Wood density 0.5
8g
2g

3g

5g

5g

3g

2g

Water density 1.0

Each block weighs 2 g

0.5

0.3

0.2

density
= 0.1

0.2

Water density 1.0

0.3

0.5

Isostasy

Isostasy

3) Plate Tectonics

Divergent and Transform Plate Boundaries

Continental
Rifting

Continental
Rifting
the East
African Rift

Convergent
Plate
Boundaries

Andean-type
orogenesis
Crust thickens by
addition of magma
Compression due to
plate convergence

Convergent Plate Boundaries

The Origin of the Himalayas

Himalayan-type
orogenesis
Begins as Andean-type

Himalayan-type
orogenesis

How do you locate the suture zone today?

How can you determine the polarity of subduction?

Slivers of oceanic crust and upper mantle (ophiolites)

The suture zone is marked by the mlange and
become incorporated into the mlange in the
particularly by the occurrence of ultramafic rocks
accretionary wedge of deformed sediments
composing the mantle portion of the ocean lithosphere

Chain of ultramafic bodies in Vermont indicating a

suture zone of the Ordovician Taconic Orogeny. The
ultramafics mark a closed oceanic basin between
North American rocks and an accreted island arc
terrane. From Chidester, (1968) in Zen et al., Studies
in Appalachian Geology, Northern and Maritime.
Wiley Interscience.

Appalachian
History

Can accrete
island arc
terranes as well
as continents

Accreted
Terranes of
the Western
Cordillera

Hot Spots

The Plate Tectonic

Regime of the Western
USA

Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics

General
Geological
Principles:
4) The Rock
Cycle

Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle

Examples of Other
Cycles: the Hydrologic
Cycle

Examples of Other Cycles:

the Carbon Cycle

Population

Population

Population
Impacts:
Resources
Waste Disposal
Pollution
Hazards/Disasters
Farmland and Food/Soil
Disruption of Natural Systems