Engineering Geology

Instructor：Shuqian Duan (Associate Professor)

Tel: 15286838062
Email: qianshuduan@126.com
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Chapter Two: Minerals and Rocks

Outline:
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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth
2.2 Geological Action
2.3 The Main Minerals in the Rock
2.4 The Rocks: three types

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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth

Earth: an irregular rotation ellipsoid

biosphere

atmosphere

water
enclosing
Microbiology

The earth includes two parts:

Outer cycle: outside layer—atmosphere, water enclosing and the
biosphere
Inner cycle: solid earth 3
2.1 Inner Structure of Earth

❖ Inner cycle: solid earth :

Earth core
Earth mantle

Earth crust

Inner cycle: solid earth :

According to material composition, state and their characteristics
Earth crust, earth mantle and earth core

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 2.1 Inner Structure of Earth
1-Earth crust
The density of the earth crust is 2.7~2.9g/ cm3,
made up of various rocks seen in the earth's
surface. Average thickness 16km, land about
33km, sea about 6km
2-Earth mantle
The earth mantle is in 2900 km depth under the
earth’s crust. The density of the earth mantle is
3.32~4.64g/ cm3, made up of silicate material
rich in Fe, Mg.
3-Earth core Earth core
The part under the earth mantle is called the Earth mantle
earth core. The density of the earth core is
Earth crust
11~16g/ cm3, made up of material including Fe,
Ni. The earth core can be split into the solid
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nuclear inside and the liquid state outside.
2.1 Inner Structure of Earth

❖ Inner cycle: solid earth :

1-Earth crust 2-Earth mantle 3-Earth core

4-Liquid outer earth core 5-Soild inner earth core
6-Asthenosphere 7-lithosphere

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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth

The knowledge about the inside

layers of earth mainly comes from
the study on elastic wave of
earthquake. According to
research, there is a seismic wave
with lower tempo at the earth
mantle top; 5% materials are in
melt state there. It was called
Asthenosphere. The layer in solid
state above the flow layer is called
the lithosphere.
The lithosphere, with stronger rigidity, split into a lot of pieces, is
called the plate. The plates move on the flow layer. This is called a
plate movement. That is the origin of the tectonic movement(构造运动)
too. 7
 2.1 Inner Structure of Earth

❖ Plate:

The lithosphere is divided into discontinuous plate-form rock

blocks by mid ocean ridges, oceanic trenches, and transportation
faults. According to Xavier Le Pichon.(Frank, 1968):
There are six plates :

➔Eurasian plate
➔African Plate
➔Pacific plate INDIANOCEAN PLATE

➔American plate
➔Antarctic plate
➔Indian ocean plate
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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth
❖ Plate movement:
Relative movement: one plate against another
All of these plates( six plates) float on the Asthenosphere
Plates move horizontally with the Asthenosphere movement
Dynamic source is from mantle convection

INDIANOCEAN PLATE

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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth
❖ Plate movement:
Plate movement
Three forms of movements:
➔ three boundaries
Aggregation boundaries:
oceanic trench, island arc…
Tension crack boundaries:
crack valley, mid-ocean ridge
Dislocation boundaries:
conversion fault, similar
with slip fault
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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth
Earth core
Earth mantle
❖ Earth crust and its composition:
Earth crust
☺ Basic composition substance:
All kinds of chemical elements, such as 9 categories as follows:
O、Si、Al、Fe、Ca、Na、K、Mg、H
Their quality is about 98.13% of total quality of crust

☺ Minerals:
Natural elementary substance or chemical compounds
by geological action
They have not only fixed chemical compositions, but also
inherent physical properties.
They are stable under some physical and chemical conditions.
They are basic elements for rocks and ores.
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 2.1 Inner Structure of Earth

Quartz Calcite

Diamond Olivine

Mica
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2.1 Inner Structure of Earth
❖ Earth crust and its composition:

☺ Rocks:
The aggregate composed of one or more kinds of minerals,
whether consolidation or not.
A little part of them have fossils.
Rocks are the key component of earth lithosphere

Earth core
Earth mantle

Earth crust

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2.2 Geological Action
➔ What is geological action？[Definition of Geological Action]

It means the actions which make alteration for the composition,

structure, shape of the rock cycle because of the natural dynamics
(geological agents).

➔ The classification of the Geological action : two types

(1) Inner-dynamics geological action

The dynamic source is from the internal earth
(2) Outer-dynamics geological action
Dynamic source is from the sun, gravity, attraction force between
the sun and the moon.

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2.2 Geological Action
➔Inner-dynamics geological action

A: Crust movement : 地壳运动

Lifting movement and Horizontal movement
B: Magmatism (Magmatic activities): 岩浆作用
Magmatic intrusion and volcanic eruption.
C: Earthquake: 地震作用
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用
Because of the high pressure and/or temperature, the rock is
changed into a new kind of rock. This rock is called metamorphic
rock.
Every geological phenomena is the result of geological action. It
includes: mineral, rock, land shape (mountain, river, plain), tectonics.

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2.2 Geological Action
A: Crust movement : 地壳运动
-- Lifting movement➔ Orogenic movement

Himalaya

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2.2 Geological Action
A: Crust movement : 地壳运动
-- Horizontal movement ➔ Plate collision and cracking

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2.2 Geological Action
B: Magmatism (Magmatic activities): 岩浆作用
 Volcanic eruption ➔ effusive rock (岩浆岩)
Magma erupts or overflows to the ground, then condenses to rock

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2.2 Geological Action
B: Magmatism (Magmatic activities): 岩浆作用
 Magmatic intrusion ➔ intrusive(invade) rock （侵入岩）
Including Hypabyssal (shallow intrusive) rock and Abyssal (deep
intrusive) rock

vein dyke

Irregular dike

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2.2 Geological Action
C: Earthquake: 地震作用

Epicentre distance

Longitudinal wave
Epicentre
Hypocenter
depth

Hypocenter Transverse wave

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2.2 Geological Action
C: Earthquake: 地震作用

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2.2 Geological Action
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用
➔Influence factors

 Temperature: the dominant factor, providing energy

 Pressure: static pressure and dynamic pressure
 Chemically active fluid : dissolution, migration
the medium of chemical reaction

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2.2 Geological Action
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用
➔metamorphic rock

Metamorphism

Contact metamorphism

Regional metamorphism
Dynamic metamorphism

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 2.2 Geological Action
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用

➔Contact metamorphism

 Contact thermal metamorphism （接触热变质作用）

--thermal flow with high temperature
 Contact metasomatic metamorphism
（接触交代变质作用）
--metasomatic replacement

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2.2 Geological Action
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用
➔Contact metamorphism

The interaction is generally limited

near the metamorphic zone with high
temperature and low pressure

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2.2 Geological Action
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用
➔Dynamic metamorphism

Mostly in the crust active zones, related with faults

Stress causes directional arrangement of particles in rock

granite

Particles in rock
get stretched by
Shear
gneiss 26
2.2 Geological Action
D: Metamorphism: 变质作用
➔Regional metamorphism

Caused by regional
structure movement
in large area

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2.2 Geological Action
Difference between Metamorphism and Magmatism

 Different forming process

Metamorphism: Temperature rises
Magmatism: Temperature declines
 Different forming environment of minerals
Metamorphism: Minerals change in Solid state
Magmatism: Minerals crystallize from Liquid state

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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
A: Weathering (风化）→
the rock is destroyed at the place where it was formed because of the
outer dynamics.
B: Erosion（剥蚀）→
rock body is separated from its mother rock because of the water,
wind, glacier(冰河).
C: Carrying（搬运）→
the process that rock is carried from one place to anther place.
D: Sedimentation（沉积）→
the process in which the carrying materials sink to the bottom of
ground when the power of gravity of the materials is bigger than the
carrying force.
E: Rock-formation action（成岩）→
the process that the materials sink to ground surface to become hard
or solid rock body.
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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
A: Weathering (风化):

 Physical weathering: sun shine, temperature , wind, water…

 Chemical weathering: chemical reaction…
 Biological weathering: plant growth, insects, microorganism…

Spherical weathering

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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
B: Erosion(剥蚀):
rock body is separated from its host rock because of
the water, wind, glacier…

wind water
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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action

❖ Differences between Weathering and Erosion?

 objects:
 ways
 results
 order:

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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
C: Carrying(搬运):
rock and erosion materials are carried from one place to anther
place

❖ Carrying and erosion often be finished by the same geological

force

 Traction transport : Big rock blocky…

 Suspension transport : Thin particles…
 Solution transport: Solubility materials…

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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
D: Sedimentation(沉积):
carrying materials stop and heap under the gravity

 Mechanical sedimentation : Big rock blocky…

 Chemical sedimentation : Solubility materials…
 Biological sedimentation : Fossils…

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 2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
D: Sedimentation(沉积):

carrying

sedimentation

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2.2 Geological Action
➔Outer-dynamics geological action
E: Rock-formation action(成岩):
Loose sediments turn to hard sedimentary rock

 Consolidation effect: Big rock blocky…

 Cementation effect: Clastic rock …
 Re-crystallization effect: Clay rock …

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2.2 Geological Action
❖ Results of geological action

 Formation of new mineral and rock, geological structure,

surface morphology;--Positive
 Destruction of existing mineral and rock, geological structure,
surface morphology; --Negative
 Impact the distribution of climate, water resource and soil,
creating the suitable living environment for mankind; --Positive
 Bring harms for people, such as flooding, tsunami and
earthquake; --Negative
……

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Thinking:

 Inner structure of earth and their characteristics?

 Plate and plate movement?
 Inner-dynamics geological action and its common forms?
 Outer-dynamics geological action and its common forms?
 Results of geological action?

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