Earth Materials Lab

All the rocks and their descriptions

Actinolite:

• Dark Green

• Bladed

• Glassy

• Cleavage: 2 directrion @ 60° and 120°

Plagioclase (Albite):

• Milky quarts

• Luster: Glassy

• Cleavage: 2 Directions @ 90°

• Hardness: 6-6.5

Apatite:

• Columnar

• Green/ Black/ White

• Luster: Glassy

• Habit: Hexagonal Prisms

• Cleavage: Poor

Barite:

• Reddish White

• Flaky

• Luster: Pearly

• Habit: Tabular Crystals

• Cleavage: 3 Directions

Biotite:

• Dark Color

• Shiny

• Thin Flexible Sheets

• Cleavage: 1 direction

Calcite:

• Colorless to white

• Cleavage: 3 Directions

• Reacts with Acid

Chlorite:

• Dark Green

• Flaky or Foliated

• Cleavage; 1 Direction

• Green Streak

Corundum:

• Redish brown

• Columnar

• Hardness: 9

Diopside:

• Dark green

• Habit: Prismatic Crystals

• Cleavage: 2 directions @ 90°

Fluorite:

• Range of colors

• Habit; Cubic Crystals

• Cleavage: Perfect in 4 directions

Galena:

• Looks like silver

• Dark Black streak

• Cleavage: 3 directions @ 90°

Garnet:

• Redish Crystals

• Roundish

• No cleavage or fracture

Graphite:

• Gray

• Can write on paper

• smooth

Gypsum:

• Colorless to white

• Pearly luster

• Layered?

Halite:

• Salt (lick it)

• Perfect cube cleavage

Hematite:

• Black and Red

• Glitter in hands

• Red- Brown streak

Hornblende:

• Dark with some white

• Faintly foliated

• Prismatic Crystals

• Cleavage: 2 directions @ 60°and 90°

Kaolinite:

• White

• Fine grained and powdery

Magnetite:

• Magnetic

• Dark silver/ brown

Kspar:

• White- Tan- Pink

• Cleavage: Perfect in two directions at nearly 90° (forms rectangular or blocky crystals)

Muscovite:

• Dark Clear

• Think and flaky sheets

Olivine:

• Green (some white)

• Masses of small crystal

Pyrite:

• Fake gold

• Cubic Crystals

Quartz:

• Range of colors

• Big crystal

• Hardness: 7

Talc:

• Fizzes w HCl

• White- Pale

• Feels Soapy or Greasy

• Hardness: 1

Amphibolite:

• Black and White

• Layered

• Metamorphic

• Medium-Low energy

Andesite:

• Gray with a few dark spots

• Low energy (volcanic environments)

• Igneous

Basalt:

• Mostly Black

• Dense

• Low Energy (Volcanic Enviroments)

• Igneous Rock

Conglomerate:

• Big rocks within the rock

• High energy (Rivers and beaches)

• Sedimentary Rock

Diorite:

• White and black spotted

• Low Energy

• Igneous RocK

Dunite:

• Green like olivine

• Low Energy

• Igneous Rock

Fossiliferous Limestone:

• Fizzes w HCl

• Tan and rough

• Low Energy (Shallow Marine Environments)

• Sedimentary Rock

Grabbo:

• Speckled Black

• Coarse

• Low Energy

• Igneous Rock

Gneiss:

• Curve Foliated

• White/ Tan/ Black

• Low to medium energy

• Metamorphic Rock

Granite:

• Red with different color spots

• Low

• Igneous Rock

Granulite:

• Fizzes with HCl

• Coarse White

• Medium to High energy

• Metamorphic Rock

Micritic Limestone:

• Fine grained

• Tanish gray with black line

• Low energy (shallow marine environments)

• Sedimentary Rock

Mudstone:

• Fine Grained

• Grayish

• Low Energy (lakes or ocean floor)

• Sedimentary

Oolitic Limestone:

• lots of tiny grains

• fizzes

• Medium Energy (Tidal flats or shallow seas)

• Sedimentary Rock

Phyllite:

• Glossy and Foliated

• Blackish Tan

• Low to Medium Energy

• Metamorphic Rock

Quartz Sandstone:

• Medium Grained

• White- Tan

• Medium to High Energy (Rivers and Beaches)

• Sedimentary Rock

Rhyolite:

• Red with high iron content

• Dark Glitter

• Low Energy Environment

• Igneous

Schist:

• Metallic Looking

• Shiny poop

• Low to Medium Energy

• Metamorphic Rock

Shale:

• Black

• Foliated and lightweight

• Low energy (lakes and ocean floor)

• Sedimentary Rock

Siltstone:

• Fizzes with HCl

• Blueish Gray

• Low Energy (ocean floors and lakes)

• Sedimentary Rock