What minerals must be present for a rock to have slatey cleavage?

Rhyolite and andesite are often found associated with subduction zones. Basalt is rare in subduction zones. Explain. (Tough question!)

Name some evaporite minerals found at Searles Lake, California. Look at their compositions. What patterns do you see? That is, what common chemical characteristics to the minerals share that may explain why they all formed at Searles Lake?

Laterites are a type of soil that forms in tropical areas. They are particularly poor types of soil for agriculture which explains why tropical people often practice swidden agriculture (a.k.a. slash and burn agriculture). How and why do laterites form where they do? Why are the soils so poor for agriculture? Often the terms laterite and bauxite are used interchangeably when talking about mining. But, they should not be – they are different. What is the difference?

Although sulfides are often good ore minerals, there are environmental problems associated with producing and processing them. What are the problems and what can be done to solve them?

When pelitic rocks are metamorphosed, the result is often a schist of some sort. When granitic rocks are metamorphosed they almost never produce schists. Why the difference?

What is a volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit? How do such deposits form? What are the two most important metals that come from these deposits? List the key ore minerals of each (with formulas).

When a gabbro is metamorphosed, often there is little change in mineralogy. On the other hand, when a claystone (shale) is metamorphosed there may be lots of changes in mineralogy. Many different metamorphic minerals may form. Why the difference?

What are clay minerals? How do they form? List the names of several and explain why you do not want to know their formulas.

The task of top executives in making corrective adjustments includes