18/11/2009.
A continuous cycle takes place day in, day out. The result is rock. Rock is formed, worn down, and formed again. This doesn’t take just a day of course, it takes years upon years to go full cycle, and as this happens, nature gives us some of our favourite natural works of art we like to call, work tops, fire surrounds, floors and wall tiles.
This is where Granite, Marble, Sand Stone, and many other types of rock and stone come from. But, how do they form and how do we make the most of them?
So, let’s start at the beginning with the Earth it’s self. The Earth’s crust is a massive accumulation of rocks and minerals that are all crammed together to make up the Earth’s crust, however this only about 0.1% and about 0.4% is made of oxygen, magnesium aluminium, silicon calcium, sodium potassium, iron. The other 99% is made up of 8 other elements. The continents are about 35 km thick and the ocean floors are about 7 lm thick.
About 2900 km thick, the Mantle is the solid casing of the Earth making up about 70% of the Earth’s mass It is made up of silicon, oxygen, aluminium and iron. The Core is mainly made of iron and nickel and makes up about 30% of the Earth’s mass and The Outer Core is 2200 km thick and is liquid and the Inner core is 1270 km thick and is solid.
MINERALS
Minerals are composed of the same substances throughout; this can be seen if you were to slice one in half. About 3000 different minerals are found in the world and they are made up of either a single or a combination of chemicals. From the 103 know chemical elements, minerals are sorted onto 8 groups.
The groups are;
1. Native Elements - copper, silver, gold, nickel-iron, graphite, diamond
2. Sulfides - sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite
3. Halides - halite, fluorite
4. Oxides & Hydroxides - corundum, hematite
5. Nitrates, Carbonates, Borates - calcite, dolomite, malachite
6. Sulfates, Chromates, Molybdates, Tungstates - celestite, barite, gypsum
7. Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates - apatite, turquoise
8. Silicates - quartz, almandine garnet, topaz, jadeite, talc, biotite mica
CRYSTALS
These are minerals that have been able to grow in the shape they were meant to be. Just like our DNA determines the colour of your hair, how tall or short you will be and the general shape of your bones, the chemicals that a mineral is made of determines what shape it gets to be. The shape of the minerals determines the difference between them.
Where minerals have form in a restricted space they Clump together and show no shape. These are called a massive Mineral and where shape noticeable they are called Mineral Crystal. Most were form millions of years ago when hot melting rock cooled down.
SOIL, SAND & DIRT
Sand is a direct result of rocks that have rubbed down to the point of being so small; they just don’t look like rocks anymore. Add some plant life and the rock that is now called sand will break down more and become soil.
Soil is very important to life on earth. A mixture of sand, dead plants and even animals and their deposits, soil becomes a major link to life.
It takes thousands and millions of years for rocks to be formed let alone the bit where the rocks change from rocks to sand to soil but when it eventually gets there we divide rocks into 3 types.
Classified by how they were formed, as follows:
IGNEOUS
SEDIMENTARY
METAMORPHIC
