70 Minerals, Rocks, and Soil-Mid

Minerals, Rocks, and Soil Written by Rachel Kamb

《矿物、岩石和土壤》Rachel Kamb著

Introduction Earth gives you everything you need to stay alive. It has water for drinking. It has air for breathing. It has plants and animals that you need for many reasons. Earth also has land! Land is where you walk and play. Your home is built on land, too. What is land made of? Why is it important? In this book, you will learn about nonliving Earth materials that make up the land. Nonliving Earth materials can be very different from one place to another. They come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. They change in many ways.

地球给你生存所需的一切。 它有水可以喝。 它有供呼吸的空气。它有很多你需要的植物和动物。 地球也有陆地!土地是你散步和玩耍的地方。 你的家也建在陆地上。 陆地是由什么构成的?为什么它很重要? 在这本书中，你将了解构成陆地的无生命物质。 地球上的无生命物质在不同的地方可能有很大的不同。 它们有许多颜色、形状和大小。 他们在很多方面都有变化。

Elements and Minerals Let's look at what makes up Earth. We'll start really small, with elements. The elements below make up all living and nonliving things. Do You Know? Elements are not the smallest parts of matter. The tiniest bits of each element are called atoms.

元素和矿物质让我们来看看是什么组成了地球。 我们从很小的元素开始。 下面的元素构成了所有生物和非生物。 你知道吗?元素不是物质的最小组成部分。 每一种元素的最小部分被称为原子。

A mineral is made of elements. Some minerals are made of only one element. For example, silver is just made of silver. Iron is only made of iron. Many other minerals are made of two or more elements. For example, quartz is made of silicon and oxygen. Earth has almost 4,000 different minerals. Each mineral has its own mix of elements. All minerals are solid. They form in a pattern of crystals Different patterns make different crystal shapes. Minerals are also inorganic—they were never alive.

矿物是由元素构成的。 有些矿物只由一种元素构成。 例如，银就是由银构成的。 铁只是铁做的。 许多其他矿物是由两种或两种以上的元素构成的。 例如，石英是由硅和氧组成的。 地球上有将近4000种不同的矿物。 每种矿物都有自己的元素组合。 所有的矿物都是固体的。它们形成一种晶体图案，不同的图案形成不同的晶体形状。 矿物也是无机物——它们从来没有生命。

Rocks A rock is a hard, solid material. It is found in nature. Most rocks are made of different minerals. Look at a rock. It might have many colors and patterns. These are the bits and pieces of different minerals. The mix of minerals in one kind of rock helps you tell it apart from other kinds of rocks.

岩石是一种坚硬的固体物质。 它存在于自然界。大多数岩石是由不同的矿物组成的。 看一块石头。它可能有很多颜色和图案。 这些是不同矿物的碎片。 一种岩石中矿物质的混合有助于你将它与其他类型的岩石区分开来。

You can describe and compare rocks in many ways. Look at the chart. It shows you how to describe and compare rocks. HOW TO DESCRIBE AND COMPARE ROCKS Mineral composition Rocks have a special mixture of one or more minerals. Size Rocks can be huge boulders or small pebbles. They can be as big as a mountain or as tiny as a speck of dust. Shape Rocks can be flat, round, square, or almost any other shape. Color Rocks come in every color you can imagine. Many rocks have more than one color. It depends on the colors of their minerals. Texture Some rocks feel very rough, while others are smooth. They can have tiny grains; large, smooth chunks; or long pointed crystals. Some rocks are full of airholes. Hardness The Mohs Scale of Hardness compares how hard each mineral is within a rock. Talc is rated a 1 (very soft), and diamonds are rated a 10 (very hard). Patterns Rocks may have streaks, waves, or straight lines. They may have dots everywhere or be built layer upon layer. Some rocks do not have a clear pattern. Location An important way to describe a rock is by where in nature it is found. A beach may have different rocks than a forest, desert, or volcano.

你可以用很多方法来描述和比较岩石。 看这张图表。它向你展示如何描述和比较岩石。 如何描述和比较岩石矿物成分岩石是一种或多种矿物的特殊混合物。 岩石可以是巨大的卵石，也可以是小卵石。 它们可以大如一座山，也可以小如一粒尘埃。 岩石的形状可以是平的、圆的、方的或几乎任何其他形状。 彩色石头有你能想象到的各种颜色。 许多岩石不止一种颜色。 这取决于矿物的颜色。 一些岩石摸起来很粗糙，而另一些则很光滑。 它们可以有微小的颗粒;大块:光滑的大块;或者长而尖的晶体。 有些岩石上布满了气孔。 莫氏硬度比较法比较岩石中每种矿物的硬度。 滑石粉被评为1级(非常软)，钻石被评为10级(非常硬)。 岩石可能有条纹、波浪或直线。 它们可能到处都是点，或者是一层一层地建起来的。 有些岩石没有清晰的图案。 描述岩石的一个重要方法是根据它在自然界中被发现的位置。 海滩上的岩石可能与森林、沙漠或火山不同。