Which among the following mineral groups, if any, contains silicon:
halides, carbonates or sulfides? Explain.
Only those minerals are put in silicate group which have Si (silicon) and
oxygen combined in their chemical formula. For example
SiO2→ Quartz
Fe2SiO3
Mg2SiO3→ (Olivine)
Carbonate have carbon and oxygen. For example CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)
Halides have combination of salt forming elements of 7th group ( F, Cl, Br, I)
with other elements. For example CaF2 , NaCl etc
Sulfides have S (sulfur) with other elements like ZnS, PbS
Conclusion:
Only Silicates have silicon
1. How does vesicular texture in a volcanic rock develop?
-Vesicular texture is a volcanic rock texture characterized by a rock being pitted with many
cavities (known as vesicles) at its surface and inside. This texture is common in aphanitic, or
glassy, igneous rocks that have come to the surface of the earth, a process known as extrusion. As
magma rises to the surface the pressure on it decreases. When this happens gasses dissolved in the
magma are able to come out of solution, forming gas bubbles (the cavities) inside it. When the
magma finally reaches the surface as lava and cools, the rock solidifies around the gas bubbles and
traps them inside, preserving them as holes filled with gas called vesicles.
A related texture is amygdaloidal in which the volcanic rock, usually basalt or andesite, has
cavities, or vesicles, that are filled with secondary minerals, such as zeolites, calcite, quartz,
or chalcedony. Individual cavity fillings are termed amygdules (American usage) or amygdales (British
usage). Sometimes these can be sources of semi-precious stones such as diamonds.
Rock types that display a vesicular texture include pumice and scoria.
2. Heat is a major agent in metamorphism and igneous rock formation, but not in sedimentary rocks.
Why?
Rocks are formed on Earth as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks. Igneous rocks form
when rocks are heated to the melting point which forms magma. Sedimentary rocks are formed from
the cementing together of sediments, or from the compaction (squeezing together) of sediments, or
from the recrystallization of new mineral grains which are larger than the original
crystals. Metamorphic rocks form from heat and pressure changing the original or parent rock into a
completely new rock. The parent rock can be either sedimentary, igneous, or even another
metamorphic rock. The word "metamorphic" comes from Greek and means "To Change Form".
3. Does every rock go through the complete rock cycle, i .e. changing from igneous to sedimentary
rock to metamorphic then back to igneous rocks? Explain.
NO
Igneous rocks can erode to sediment and be deposited as sediment and turned to sedimentary
rock, and be eroded again and re-deposited to form another sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rocks can
do the same thing - recycle over and over. And igneous rocks can be metamorphosed, and even be
metamorphosed again, and then melted to form a new igneous rock, which might be weathered and
altered and eroded to form a sediment - OR might be metamorphosed, or even remelted…
The rock cycle is an orderly DEPICTION of the various paths a typical rock body might follow, but
it isn’t unvarying on each change.
The rock cycle is a MODEL, and every model is based on a complex system reduced to a basic
simplicity which captures the essential data to depict the entire system at a glance. Models do not
(and should not) try to show every single thing.
4. What do butterflies and metamorphic rocks have in common?
Both the butterfly and the metamorphic rock have come up through metamorphosis (which
means change). Except for that word in common, there is no similarity between a butterfly and a
metamorphic rock.
Butterfly goes through a sequence of events in its life cycle:
1. Egg: Laid by a mother butterfly (Generation 1)
2. Larva: Generation 2 eggs that have hatched
3. Pupa: Generation 2 larvae that secrete cocoon to wrap themselves in
4. Adult Butterfly: Generation 2 pupa that have succeeded in breaking the cocoon.
This continues for generations without a break.
Metamorphic rocks on the other hand are produced by the effect of Pressure and Temperature
over a significant (millions of years) of time. Primary rocks (Igneous or sedimentary) get buried under
the overlying strata of rocks and soil and change according to their physical and chemical (physico-
chemical) properties. They are then exposed to the surface by catastrophic events such as
earthquakes or igneous activities or remain buried underneath.
Exposed metamorphic rocks may then break up and form sediments (which may later become
sedimentary rocks). The metamorphic rocks underneath may themselves undergo further changes or
may be melted by the heat to add up to the existing magma (which may come up as igneous rocks).
So, this is what you have in common between a butterfly and a metamorphic rock: metamorphosis.
Differences: The ways metamorphosis occur.