Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
It's Elemental, My Dear: A Very
Basic Chemistry of Elements
and Compounds
In This Chapter
Exploring atomic structure, isotopes, and ions
Bonding atoms together into molecules and compounds
Understanding chemical formulas in earth science
To understand earth processes such as the formation of rocks, it helps to understand
some of the basic concepts of chemistry. The science of chemistry explores and de-
scribes the properties of substances — gas, liquid, or solid — and explains how and why
different substances interact with each other.
In this chapter, I explain that all earth materials are made of atoms, and I show how these
atoms interact with one another to create the observable characteristics of rocks and
geologic features in the world around you.
The Smallest Matter: Atoms and Atomic
Structure
All matter is made of
atoms.
Every single speck of gas, liquid, or solid sur-
rounding you is a mix of millions of atoms. An atom is the smallest bit of matter
that can be measured and identified as a specific element.
