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ROCKS - CHARACTERISTICS & MINERALS

Rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.

The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of threetypes, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The scientific study of rocks is called petrology, and petrology is an essential component of geology.

Metamorphic Rock

, rock which has had its original composition and texture altered byheatand pressuredeep within the Earth's crust. Metamorphism that is a result of both heatand pressure is referred to as dynamothermal, or regional; metamorphism produced by the heat of an intrusion of igneous rock is termed thermal, or contact.

Sedimentary Rock

, in geology, rock composed of geologically reworked materials, formed bythe accumulation and consolidation of mineral and particulate matter deposited bythe action of water or, less frequently, wind or glacial ice. Most sedimentary rocksare characterized by parallel or discordant bedding that reflects variations in either the rate of deposition of the material or the nature of the matter that is deposited.

Igneous Rock

, rock formed when molten or partially molten material, calledmagma, cools andsolidifies. Igneous rocks are one of the three main types of rocks; the other typesaresedimentary rocksandmetamorphic rocks.Of the three types of rocks, only igneous rocks are formed from melted material. The two most common types of igneous rocks aregraniteand basalt.Granite is light colored and is composed of large crystals of the minerals quartz, feldspar, and mica. Basalt is dark andcontains minute crystals of the minerals olivine, pyroxene, and feldspar.

These are the physical properties most useful for mineral identification:

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Color-

Color in minerals is caused by the absorption, or lack of absorption, of variouswavelengths of light. The color of light is determined by its wavelength.

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Luster-

is a description of the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal

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Transparency(or diaphaneity) -

also known technically as

diaphaneity

, is a function of the way light interacts with the surface of a substance.

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Twinning-

Twins form as a result of an error during crystallization. Instead of a"normal" single crystal, twins will often appear doubled where two crystals appear to begrowing out of or into each other, like Siamese twins