Rocks.

Composition

Rock is made up of many minerals.

Minerals have crystalline chemical structure.

Fe
O
Na M Al Si
K gCa F
e

Only eight elements make up over 98%

of the earths crust!
Abundance Minerals in Earths Crust
Plagioclase feldspar..39 percent

CaAl 2Si 2O8

NaAlSi 3O8

Plagioclase feldspar ranges in composition from

calcium aluminum silicate (anorthite) to sodium
aluminum silicate (albite)

Orthoclase or alkali feldspar..12 percent

KAlSi 3O 8

Potassium aluminum silicate

Quartz.. 12 percent

SiO2

Pure Quartz Crystal is colorless.

However, defect in the crystal
structure may give it various hues

Pyroxene.. 11 percent

(Ca, Na)(Mg, Fe, Al)(Si, Al)2O6

Large class of rock-forming silicate

minerals, generally containing calcium,
magnesium, and iron and typically occurring
as prismatic crystals
Olivine.. 3 percent

(Mg,Fe)2SiO4

an olive-green, grey-green, or brown mineral It is a

silicate containing varying proportions of magnesium,
iron, and other elements.

Clay.. 4.6 percent

hydrated alumino-silicates having layered crystal

structures
Amphiboles.5 percent
A 01B 2C 5T 8O 22(OH, F, Cl) 2,

where A = Na, K;
B = Na, Zn, Li, Ca, Mn, Fe 2+, Mg;
C = Mg, Fe 2+, Mn, Al, Fe 3+, Ti, Zn, Cr;
T = Si, Al, Ti.

Amphiboles are generally dark-colored, ionosilicate minerals, forming prism or

needlelike crystals and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their
structures. Amphiboles can be green, black, colorless, white, yellow, blue, or brown.
Mica.5 percent

KAl3Si3O10(OH)2

K(Al,Cr,Mn)3Si3O10(OH)2

Mica group of sheet silicate (phyllosilicate) minerals

includes several closely related materials having
nearly perfect basal cleavage.
Same Minerals: Different Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks are formed due to cooling of magma
-Rocks formed from lava are called extrusive, or volcanic rocks
-Rocks formed from magma at depth are called intrusive, or plutonic rocks

Rocks are made of minerals. The size and arrangement of mineral grains in
rocks, i.e., texture, depends on the rate of cooling
-Slow rate of cooling results in fewer but larger mineral crystals
-Fast rate of cooling results in many small crystals
-Very fast rate forms rocks with glassy texture

Texture
1. Aphanitic (fine-grained) ; Rapid rate of cooling; Microscopic crystals

2. Phaneritic (coarse-grained) ; Slow cooling; Large, visible crystals

3. Porphyritic texture; Large crystals are embedded in a matrix of smaller crystals

4. Glassy texture; Very rapid cooling of lava

5. Pyroclastic texture; Fragmental appearance produced by violent volcanic eruptions

6. Pegmatitic texture; Exceptionally coarse grained

Composition

Dark (or ferromagnesian) silicatesOlivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite mica

Basaltic (dark) Composition
Light (or nonferromagnesian) silicatesQuartz, muscovite
Granitic (light) Composition

Intermediate (or andesitic) compositionContain 25% or more dark silicate minerals,

associated with explosive volcanic activity

Ultramafic composition.Rare composition that is high in magnesium and

iron.Composed entirely of ferromagnesian silicates
Granite Granitic composition
Light-colored silicates
Felsic (feldspar and silica)
High amounts of silica (quartz)

Phaneritic (coarse-grained) texture

Slow cooling, Intrusive
Large, visible crystals

Major constituent of continental crust

Rhyolite
Rhyolite

Extrusive equivalent of granite

Aphanitic texture
Less common and less voluminous than granite

Basalt
Basaltic composition
Composed mainly of pyroxene and
calcium rich plagioclase feldspar

Aphanitic texture
Most common extrusive igneous
rock
Gabbro
Gabbro

Intrusive equivalent of basalt

Phaneritic texture consisting of pyroxene

and calcium-rich plagioclase

Significant % of the oceanic crust

Pumice Obsidian

-Glassy Texture

-Rapid Cooling of Lava

- Out-gassing (pumice)
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rocks are formed by the Lithification* of inorganic and organic
sediments/precipitates deposited at or near the Earths surface.

*Lithification is the process in which sediments/precipitates compact under pressure, pore fluids
are expelled, and gradually the sediments become solid rock. Essentially, Lithification is a
process of porosity destruction through compaction and cementation

There are two types of sedimentary rocks..1) Clastic and 2) Chemical

Clastic sedimentary rocks form when existing parent rock material is weathered, fragmented,
transported, and deposited in layers that lithify to form sedimentary rocks.
Example: Sand becomes Sandstone

Chemical sedimentary rocks are of three types,

Inorganic Chemical: Inorganic chemical rocks form from chemicals that are dissolved in
a solution, transported, and chemically precipitated out of solution and lithified.
Example: Calcium Carbonate Precipitate becomes Limestone

Biochemical: Those classified as biochemical chemical generally involve some form of

fossilization or the accumulation of fossilized organism or organism remains, such as shell
fragments, which are lithified.
Example: Sea Shells become Biochemical Limestone

Organic Chemical: Organic chemical rocks involve the deposition and Lithification of
plant material. Example: trees/plants become peat or coal deposits.
Clastic Sedimentary Rocks.Examples

Sandstone rocks are

composed almost entirely of
sand-sized quartz grains
(0.063 2 mm) cemented
together through lithification.

Shale is a fine-grained,
moderately to well-sorted
rock formed by the
compaction of well rounded
silt-and clay-sized grains.

Mudstone consists of very

small silt-sized and clay-
sized grains ( <0.0625 mm)
and are often well
consolidated with little pore
space.

Siltstone is finer grained

than sandstone, but coarser
grained than mudstone, and
it consists primarily of well-
sorted, rounded grains
ranging between 3.9 - 62.5
m.
Clastic Sedimentary Rocks.Examples

South Carolina Geological

Survey

Chert represent a group of Kaolin consists of very Conglomerates are poorly-

hard rocks made from fine-grained kaolinite sorted composites of a wide
micro- and cryptocrystalline clay weathered from range of rounded grain sizes
silica (SiO2). Chert can
feldspar minerals in ranging from sand to cobbles
develop as a nodules inside
other rocks or as rock metamorphic and igneous (< 0.062 to > 2 mm).
layers. rocks.

Chert is a very hard rock

that generally breaks along
fractures, this characteristic
makes it possible to carve
sharp-pointed edges onto
the rock. Used as
arrowheads in the stone-age
Inorganic Chemical Sedimentary Rock.Example
Travertine is an inorganic limestone that forms
when calcium carbonate precipitates out of ground
water that discharges from seeps, caves, grottos,
springs, or along faults.

Bio-chemical Sedimentary Rock.Example

Chalk is formed from calcareous
microscopic marine organisms
(nanofossils). When the organisms die
their exoskeletons fall to the ocean floor
creating a sedimentary layer.

Coquina rock formations are poorly

cemented, coarse-textured masses of shells
and shell fragments. The shells and shell
fragments are easily discerned, and they
give the rock a rough, sharp texture.
Biochemical Chemical Sedimentary Rock.Continued

Coral Reefs are limestone formations

created by marine organisms. Corals are
invertebrate animals which secrete a
calcareous (calcite-rich) external
skeleton . Over long periods of time coral
colonies form massive reef formations.

Organic Chemical Sedimentary Rock.Continued

Coal is made almost entirely of plant
material and other organic deposits that
have been buried for millions of years
under elevated conditions of heat and
pressure.
Deposited organic material goes through
four main phase of coal formation, which
are related to increasing heat and pressure

1. Peat
2. Lignite
3. Bituminous
4. Anthracite
dimentary Rocks.Stratigraphy
Sedimentary rocks form as layers of sediment Laminations
that accumulate one on top of the other. The
individual layers of sedimentary rock are
referred to as strata or beds (stratum for
singular).

Younger sedimentary layers are deposited on

top of older layers, and, therefore, younger
layers are closest to the surface and older layers
are buried below the surface.
Copyright @ Bruce Molnia, USGS

Bedding Planes

Copyright @ Bruce Molnia, USGS

Metamorphic Rocks..Formation

Rocks inside earths crust are sometimes baked by heat of molten magma or
squeezed by the movements of huge tectonic plates or by the pressure of overlying
thick succession of rocks

They are altered or changed beyond their recognition, i.e. change in Chemical
composition, texture and structure

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphism is the process that occur in rocks due to the effects of High
temperature, High pressure, Chemically active fluids

Low-grade metamorphism occurs at about 1000 C to 5000 C, while High-grade

metamorphism occurs at > 5000 C. Pressure is generally above 100 Mpa.
Metamorphic RocksExamples

Low Grade
Metamorphism

Shale Slate

High Grade
Metamorphism

Gneiss
Granite
Metamorphic RocksExamples

Mudstone Medium Grade

Metamorphism

Schist

Siltstone

High Grade
Metamorphism

Sandstone Quartzite
Metamorphic RocksExamples

High Grade
Metamorphism

Limestone Marble