Lithosphere

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Lithosphere
We see only what we know J.W. Goethe
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crust (0.8 Vol.-/ 0.4 mass- avg. r 2.8 g
cm-3) continental crust (3060 km) upper crust
Granodiorite (Si, Al) lower crust Basalt/Gabbro
(Si, Al, Mg)ozeanic crust (57 km) Basalt (Si,
Al, Mg) mantle (83 Vol.-/ 67.2 mass- avg. r
4,5 g/cm3) upper m. (10400 km), Peridotite (ol,
opx, cpx, gt) transition zone (400900 km)lower
mantle (9002,700 km), pyrolite (?) core (16.2
Vol.-/ 32.4 mass- avg. r 11.0 g cm-3) outer
core (2,7005,080 km), Fe-Ni-(O, S)-melt (?)
inner core (5,0806,371 km), Fe-Ni-alloy (?)
The layered planet
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Minerals Rocks
Minerals are homogenous natural solids of Earth,
Moon, and other planetary bodies. With a few
exceptions, minerals are inorganic and
crystallized.
Rocks are multi-grained mineral aggregates,
rarely natural glasses. Rocks occur in
independent, joint, geologically mappable and
profilable bodies. In contrast to minerals, rocks
are heterogeneous natural bodies.
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The family of Rocks
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Rock-forming minerals
Feldspars 64K-feldspar K(AlSi3O8 (22)
Plagioclase (Na, Ca) (Al, Si)4O8 (42) Quartz
SiO2 18 Olivine Fe, Mg SiO2 1.5
Hornblende (Na, K) Ca (Mg, Fe2, Fe3, Al)5(OH,
F)2(Si, Al2)Si6 O22 5 Augite (CaMg, Fe2,
Fe3, Ti, Al)2 (Si, Al)2O6 4 Glimmer
4Biotite K(Mg, Fe)3(OH)2/AlSi3O10Muscovite
KAl2(OH)2/AlSi3O10 Dolomite CaMg CO32 Calcite
and Aragonite CaCO3 Gypsum CaSO4.2 H2O and
Anhydrite CaSO4
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Chemical mineral systematics
1. Elements 2. Sulfides, arsenides and
sulfosalts 3. Halogenides 4. Oxides and
Hydroxides 5. Nitrates, carbonates and borates 6.
Sulfates, chromates, molybdates, and
wolframates 7. Phosphate, arsenates, and
vanadates 8. Silicates 9. Organic minerals
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Ore deposits of magmatic origin
Crystallization stages
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Geology of Germany
German Federal Statistics, 1997
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The very North fighting zone (Landsat)
Scale 1500.000 from Diercke satellite atlas, 1981
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The very North
Relevance of sand and gravel deposits for the
German mining industries
from Henningsen and Katzung, 1986
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The Northeast (Landsat)
Left from Diercke satellite atlas, 1981, scale
1500.000 right from Wagenbach and Steiner,
1990
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The Center North (Landsat)
from Diercke satellite atlas, 1981, scale
1500.000
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Center North of Germany
A SSWNNE profile through the central N-German
lowlands. Note the salt diapirs in the upper
third of the profile
from Henningsen and Katzung, 1986
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Salt structures in N-Germany
Light green salt pillows (zechstein) Dark green
maximum circumference of salt dome Light brown
salt pillows (Keuper)
from Geological overview of Lower Saxony, 1990
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German Oil and gas deposits
from Geological overview of Lower Saxony, 1990
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The Harz mountains (Landsat)
The Harz mountains and the Loess platform of
central Germany
from Diercke satellite atlas, 1981, scale
1500.000
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Geology, western Harz mts.
The Harz mountains a Palaeozoic island amidst a
Mesozoic and Cenozoic sea. grey Carboniferous
greywacke, slates, shists, quartzites brown
Devonian greywacke, slates, shists,
quartzites red Carboniferous granite green
Devonian and Carboniferous gabbro and spilites
from Geological overview of Lower Saxony, 1990
scale 1 500.000
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Central East lignite heavens
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Central West (Landsat)
Cologne bight with coal fields (brown coal and
anthracite), the upper Rhine valley, and the
Eifel volcanic area
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Central West the powerhouse
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South East Saxony and Bohemia
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South West land of plenty
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South West A great lake
Lake of Constance, a great lake in Germany, and
some alpine snow
Diercke satellite atlas, 1981, scale 1500.000
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Questions to Lithosphere

• Which represents a larger planetary mass, the
  continental crust or the oceanic crust? How did
  you arrive at your conclusion?
• What is the difference between a rock and a
  mineral? What is a crystal?
• Why do you suppose refer geologists to (some)
  igneous rocks as primary, whereas all metamorphic
  and sedimentary rocks are termed secondary? What
  would secondary igneous rocks be and how might
  you recognize their origin?
• Is the depth of the Moho greater beneath the
  Himalayas or the Indian peninsula? Explain why
  this is so.
• Why is the Earths surface capped by continents
  and ocean basins, whereas the rest of the inner
  planets are devoid of such features?
• Describe a research plan with the goal to
  document the opening time of the South Atlantic
  Ocean.

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Lithosphäre
Kurzfassung. Die Lithosphäre ist nur ein Teil
des Planeten Erde, gleichwohl der uns Menschen am
wesentlichsten erscheinende. Wir lernen die
Struktur des Planeten kennen, Minerale von
Gesteinen zu unterscheiden, die wichtigsten
Minerale und eine Einführung in erzbildende
Prozesse. Im zweiten Teil wird die Geologie
Deutschlands mit Hilfe von Landsat-Aufnahmen und
Photos vorgestellt und das Wechselspiel von
Geologie und Land- sowie Ressourcen-nutzung
diskutiert. Literatur Standard-Lehrbücher zur
Geologie, z.B. neueste Auflage von Press und
Siever Earth. Freeman and Company