Minerals and Rocks: A Comprehensive Overview
Minerals
Definition and Characteristics
Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and an ordered internal crystalline structure. This structure, along with their chemical makeup, determines their unique physical properties. Minerals are homogeneous, meaning every piece of the same mineral exhibits the same properties.
Key Characteristics:
- Solid: Incompressible and maintains its shape regardless of its container, unlike liquids (incompressible, shape-changing)
Sedimentary Rocks and Processes: Formation, Types, and Environments
Sedimentary Rocks and Processes
Sediment Types
1. Terrigenous (Clastic) Sediments: Formed from mineral or rock fragments (clasts). Characterized by grain size, shape, and sorting.
2. Chemical Sediments: Formed from dissolved materials transported and deposited by chemical precipitation or biochemical processes.
Sedimentation
1. Mechanical/Physical Sedimentation: Occurs when materials are transported in a solid state.
2. Chemical/Biochemical Sedimentation: Occurs when dissolved materials undergo chemical
Read MoreSpain’s Morphostructural Units: A Geological Overview
Morphostructural Unit Types
Large-Scale Continental Relief Units
Paleozoic Orogenic Materials: These are plains formed in the primary era as a result of erosion of mountain ranges. The materials are siliceous rocks such as granite, slate, quartzite, and schist. These are very rigid, prone to fracturing rather than bending. The oldest mountains were formed in the Tertiary by the rise of a new block due to Alpine orogenic movements. These mountains have rounded peaks and are found in the inner mountain
Read MoreEuropean Climate and Biomes: Temperature, Precipitation, and Vegetation
Climate of Europe: Determinants
Climate varieties result from modifying factors acting on temperature and precipitation.
Temperature Influence
Marine Action: Oceans affect coastal temperatures due to differences in heat absorption/radiation. Coastal areas have uniform temperatures, while inland areas have greater seasonal variations.
Latitude: Temperatures decrease towards the poles as solar rays impact Earth obliquely.
Altitude: Temperatures decrease with altitude, creating varied mountain climates.
Read MoreKey Environmental Terms and Concepts Explained
Cold Drop: A situation occurring in late summer, typically in the Spanish eastern region, due to a cold air mass entering at a certain height from the subpolar zone over warmer, moist air, intensified by Mediterranean summer warming. This causes heavy rains, hail, and frequent flooding.
GVT (Geothermal Vertical Temperature Gradient): The change in air temperature with height. Its average value is a 0.65°C drop per 100m (0.65°C/100m), varying greatly with altitude, latitude, season, and time of
Read MoreDam Drainage Systems: Spillways, Outlets, and Discharge Channels
Types of Dam Drainage Systems
There are three types of dam drainage systems:
Spillways: Allow the reservoir to release surplus water when full.
Outlets: Drainage elements designed for specific reservoir demands, such as supply, irrigation, etc.
Bottom Drains: Drain the reservoir for various reasons:
- To create a cushion in the reservoir before a flood period.
- To flush out bottom sediments and prevent reservoir silting.
- For dam maintenance.
Main Parts of a Dam Drainage System
1. Spillway
Components:
- Landfill: