Transcript Rock ID Review - Sun Prairie Area School District Learning

Rock Identification
Click Here to
take a practice
Rock ID Test
Learn Your Rocks
Rock ID Practice Test
Quartz Sandstone
Click Here to
Learn more
about a
specific rock.
Obsidian
Garnet Mica Schist
Learn Your Rocks
Select a rock to learn more about it.
Gneiss
Granite
Conglomerate
Obsidian
Rhyolite
Garnet Mica Schist
Pumice
Quartzite
Quartz Sandstone
Gabbro
Breccia
Fossillferous Limestone
Coquina
Andisite
Mica Schist
Rock Salt
Scoria
Marble
Basalt
Diorite
Chalk
Slate
Shale
Chert
Agate
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Gneiss
A banded or foliated rock usually made from some type of
granite. Color will vary considerably based on the amount and
kind of minerals found in the original granitic rock.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Metamorphic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Foliated, Crystalline
Amphibole, Feldspar,
Quartz
Obsidian
A black, banded, or spotted hard volcanic glass that is formed by very
rapid cooling of lava. Historically, many different peoples have used
the glass rock to fashion sharp tools such as knives and spear points.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Extrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Compact Glassy
Silica Rich
Pumice
A light, porous, fibrous, glassy lava, used in solid form as an abrasive
and in powdered form as a polish and an abrasive. Sometimes it’s
density is low enough that it will float in water. Pumice is lava that had
a lot of gases in it and cooled quickly on the surface of the earth.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Extrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Compact, Fibrous,
Glassy
Silica Rich
Conglomerate
A rock consisting of heterogeneous pebbles and gravel embeded in
a cement made of clay, silt and sand particles.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Gravel and smaller
sized particles
Varied, heterogeneous
mixture
Garnet Mica Schist
A mica rich leafed foliated rock that is formed under great heat and
pressure. Garnet crystals have developed on the rock as it was being
formed. The rock may be silvery white to various shades of grey and
exhibit yellow to brown tones depending on the oxidation of the
various minerals in the rock sample.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Metamorphic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Leaf like foliation
Muscovite and Garnet
Quartz Sandstone
A rock formed by the consolidation and compaction of generally
rounded sand particles cemented together by clay, silt, or silica
particles. The color will vary based on the trace elements
present in the quartz sand particles. The rock may show color
banding and cross-bedding patterns.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Sand size, crystalline
Quartz
Fossillferous Limestone
A common sedimentary rock consisting mostly of calcium
carbonate which contains fossils of various fresh and or salt
water shell fish. It is used as a building stone, and in the
manufacture of lime, carbon dioxide, and cement.
Acid Test
Reacts with Acid
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Sand size, smooth
Texture
Mineral
Calcite
Composition
Quartzite
A rock formed by the metamorphism of quartz sandstone. Quartz is a
very hard mineral composed of silica. Quartzite can be a wide variety
of colors depending on what elements are present in small amounts.
Quartzite is very prevalent and is found worldwide.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Metamorphic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Non-foliated,
Crystalline
Quartz
Granite
A common hard igneous rock consisting mostly of quartz, orthoclase
or microcline, and mica. Granite is used for building and paving.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Intrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Course grained,
Crystalline
Quartz, Potassium
Feldspar
Rhyolite
A volcanic rock similar to granite in composite that cooled much more
rapidly than granite that usually exhibits flow lines. Color may vary.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Extrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Fine grained
Light color indicates a
felsic composition
Diorite
Any of various intermediate to dark granite textured crystalline rocks
rich in plagioclase.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Intrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Course grained
Crystalline
Amphibole,
Intermediate Feldspar
Breccia
Rock composed of sharp angled fragments embedded in a fine grained
matrix of sand, silt, and clay particles. The sharp edged rock
generally are from a talus slope.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Gravel size to smaller
angular broken rock
Large variety
Shale
A rock composed of fine grained layers of sediment. Shale is often
embedded with Fossils of plant and animal material.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Clay sized particles
Clay minerals
Slate
A fine grained, grayish metamorphic rock that splits into smooth
surfaced layers. It has been used for blackboards, roofing material
and paving stones. It is generally made of metamorphosed shale. .
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Metamorphic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Foliated, fairly smooth
Clay minerals
Basalt
A hard dense igneous rock composed chiefly of plagioclase, pyroxene
And olivine and often having a glassy appearance.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Extrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Fine grained
Crystalline
Amphibole, pyroxene
Intermediate Feldspar
Rock Salt
A rock containing mostly halite, table salt, as its main constituent.
The color of the rock salt can vary depending on the trace mineral
present In the sample. This is an evaporite in that it is the salt left
after the salt has evaporated from saltwater. It is very tasty.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Chemical Sedimentary,
Evaporite
Solid mass of intergrown crystals.
Halite, trace minerals
Agate
A fine grained variety of quartz with colored banding. The colored
banding results from the presence of various trace elements.
Agates have been cut and polished to use for jewelry for some time.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Chemical Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Micro-crystalline
Quartz, Trace minerals
Marble
A metamorphic rock formed from limestone or dolomite. Irregular
Coloring is often present because of trace elements in the marble.
Marble is often used for sculpting and as a building material.
Acid Test
Reacts with acid
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Metamorphic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Non-foliated
Crystalline
Calcite,
Trace Elements
Mica Schist
Medium to course grained metamorphic rocks composed of laminated
often flaky parallel layers of micaceous rock.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Metamorphic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Foliated
Muscovite, Biotite
Coquina
Cream to pale brown, porous, poorly cemented organic
limestone composed of marine or freshwater mollusk
shells and shell fragments.
Acid Test
Reacts with acid
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary, Organic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Gravel size and
smaller shell material
Calcite,
Calcium Carbonate
Chalk
A soft compact calcite with varying amounts of quartz, silica, feldspar,
and other mineral impurities. Chalk is generally grey-white to yellow-
White in color. It is derived chiefly from fossil sea shells.
Acid Test
Reacts with acid
Scratch Test
Will not scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary, Organic
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Fine particles, very
soft
Calcium Carbonate,
Calcite, Trace minerals
Gabbro
A course grained igneous rock composed chiefly of
calcic plagioclase and pyroxene
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Intrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Course grained,
Crystalline
Calcic plagioclase,
pyroxene
Chert
A siliceous rock of chalcedonic or opaline silica occurring
in limestone. Color may vary considerably. White to grey
to black sample will probably be flint. Yellow green brown
and red will probably be Jasper.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Sedimentary
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Dense & smooth
Fine Particles
Chalcedonic, opaline
silica, color varies
Scoria
A volcanic rock having vesicular structure due to the gases
that are moving through the lava as it cools and solidifies.
Scoria has basaltic composition. It can vary in color from
dark grey to black or dark brown to reddish rust.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Igneous, Extrusive
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Rough grained, fine
crystalline
Plagioclase feldspar,
pyroxine
Andesite
A A white to grey igneous rock that usually forms on the
surface in lava flows (extrusive) or sometimes as dikes and
sills (intrusive) under.
Acid Test
No Reaction
Scratch Test
Will scratch glass
Rock Type
Particle Size,
Texture
Mineral
Composition
Igneous, Extrusive or
Dikes & sills Intrusive
Fine grained,
Crystalline
Plagioclase, Feldspar,
amphibole, Pyroxene,
Biotite