Fundamentals of Earth's Geology

📋 Course Outline

1. Rocks, minerals and the rock cycle
2. Earth structure and plate tectonics

📖 1. Rocks, minerals and the rock cycle

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Minerals : Minerals are naturally occurring substances that make up rocks and can be identified by their physical and chemical properties.
• Rock Cycle : The rock cycle is the ongoing set of processes that changes rocks from one type to another over geological time.
• Igneous, Sedimentary & Metamorphic Rocks : Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are the three major rock categories distinguished by how they form and transform.

📝 Essential Points

• There are three main rock categories: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks.
• The rock cycle links the three rock categories through processes that convert one type into another.
• Minerals are the building blocks that make up rocks in the rock-cycle system.

📖 2. Earth structure and plate tectonics

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Plate Tectonics : Plate tectonics is the idea that Earth’s outer shell is divided into moving plates that interact at their boundaries.
• Divergent Boundaries : Divergent boundaries are plate boundaries where plates move away from each other.
• Convergent Boundaries : Convergent boundaries are plate boundaries where plates move toward each other and interact.

📝 Essential Points