Rocks and Minerals Word Search
Rocks and Minerals, as a word search. 12 words drawn from the terms and ideas of a school subject sit hidden in a 15×15 letter grid, running in every direction. Drag across a word to claim it, and clear the board to finish.
Words to find: QUARTZ, FELDSPAR, MICA, HORNBLENDE, TALC, GYPSUM, CALCITE, DOLOMITE, HALITE, BASALT, GRANITE, OBSIDIAN.
Diagonals are where most players stall. Once you are down to the last word or two, sweep the diagonals deliberately.
Rocks and Minerals word list, defined
- QUARTZ /kwɔːts/ (British); /kwɔrts/ (US) · noun
- A hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon dioxide, occurring in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and as a component of sand. Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in Earth's crust.
- FELDSPAR /ˈfɛldspɑːr/ · noun
- Any of a group of abundant rock-forming minerals consisting of aluminosilicates of potassium, sodium, calcium, or barium, constituting roughly 60% of the Earth's crust. Related: spar, mineral.
- MICA /ˈmaɪkə/ · noun
- A group of shiny, finely crystalline minerals composed mainly of silicate sheets, especially muscovite and phlogopite. Mica can be split into thin, flexible, transparent sheets and is used in electrical insulation, electronics, paints, and cosmetics.
- HORNBLENDE /ˈhɔːnblɛnd/ (British & US) · noun
- A dark green to black variety of amphibole, a group of silicate minerals. The term is also used more generally for dark-colored amphiboles belonging to the hornblende group. Related: amphibole.
- TALC /tælk/ · noun
- A soft, white, translucent mineral composed of hydrous magnesium silicate, commonly known as talcum powder and formerly widely used in cosmetics, medicines, and as a lubricant. Related: talcum, talcum powder.
- GYPSUM /ˈdʒɪpsəm/ · noun
- A soft, white or colorless mineral consisting of hydrated calcium sulfate, especially one used after heating to make plaster and drywall. It occurs in sedimentary deposits and is also found in varieties such as selenite and alabaster. Related: plaster, calcium sulfate, selenite, gypsite.
- CALCITE /ˈkælsaɪt/ · noun
- A common, widespread carbonate mineral consisting of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), typically white or colourless but occurring in many tints, and the principal constituent of limestone and marble. Related: limestone, chalk, marble, calcium carbonate.
- DOLOMITE /ˈdɒl.ə.maɪt/ (UK), /ˈdɑː.lə.maɪt/ (US) · noun
- A white or pale-coloured carbonate mineral consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate, CaMg(CO₃)₂, and also the sedimentary rock formed largely of this mineral. Related: dolostone (for the rock sense), carbonate rock, magnesian limestone.
- HALITE /ˈheɪlaɪt/ · noun
- Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride, commonly known as salt. It also refers to naturally occurring rock salt, especially when used in geology or descriptions of mineral deposits. Related: rock salt, sodium chloride, common salt, salt.
- BASALT /ˈbæsɔːlt, ˈbeɪsɔːlt/ · noun
- A dark, fine-grained igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of lava at or near the Earth's surface; it is the most abundant rock in the oceanic crust. Related: lava rock, igneous rock, volcanic rock, traprock.
- GRANITE /ˈɡrænɪt/ · noun, adjective
- A hard, coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of quartz, feldspar, and mica, formed by the slow cooling of magma and widely used as a building and sculptural material. In figurative use, the word denotes exceptional hardness, permanence, or unyielding strength. Related: stone, rock.
- OBSIDIAN /əbˈsɪdiən/ · noun
- Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass, usually black, formed when lava cools too rapidly for crystals to develop. It has been used to make sharp tools, weapons, ornaments, and decorative objects. Related: volcanic glass, natural glass, black volcanic glass.
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