IDENTIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCK (LAB 1b)

1.0 OBJECTIVE
To recognize, identified and observed distinguishing features of igneous rock specimen in
the laboratory
2.0 THEORY
a) Criteria for distinguishing igneous rock
In describing any rock, one should proceed from the general to the particular,
nothing firstly its colour, behaviour on weathering and any other striking features
and then deciding whether it is igneous or other types of rock. The outstanding
characteristics of the igneous rocks is given below, but must be emphasized that
one characteristic by itself proof positive that the rock belongs to a certain class.
Rock Type

Characteristic
Interlocking grains, massive structures

Igneous

Texture such as glassy, prophyritic, phaneritic,

aphantic
High feldspar or ferromagnesian content
Absent of stratification or fossils

b) Description
Physical
characteristics
Structure

Colour
Massive rock is uniform in appearance showing no banding or other
structural features
Pegmatite the rock is very coarse grained
Vesicular the rock contains many cavities
Crystallinty or degree of crystallization
Holocrystalline wholly crystalline
Hemicrystalline partly crystals and partly glass
Holohyaline wholly glass

Texture

Granularity, the size of crystals

Fine-grained when particles are 1 mm or less in diameter
Medium grained when particles are 1 5 mm or more in diameter
Coarse grained when the particles are 5 mm or more in diameter

3.0 EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

a) Igneous rock from reference set

b) Igneous classification chart

4.0 PROCEDURE
We had learn to familiarize and observe the sample by referring the igneous classification
charts and tabulate the result observation.

5.0 RESULT AND ANALYSIS

6.0 ROCK
NAME

7.0 TEXTURE

14.0
13.0

Aphanitic,
even or
porphyritic

Obsidian

8.0 COLOUR

15.0

Light < 25%

16.0 Dark
Mineral

9.0 MINERAL
COMPOSITION
17.0

-muscovite

18.0

-biotite

19.0

-orthoclase

20.0

-quarts

21.0

-plagioclase

10.0 CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION

23.0

Acid > 65%

11.0

ORIGIN

12.0

SKETCH

24.0

25.0

37.0

38.0

49.0

50.0

22.0

27.0
26.0

Medium to
coarse

Gabbro
28.0

40.0
39.0

51.0
52.0
53.0

Basalt

Phaneric

Aphanitic
even or
Porphyritic

29.0 Dark
Minerals
30.0

Precominan
t

41.0 Dark
minerals
42.0

Precominan
t

31.0 -magnetite &

Ilmeite
32.0

-plagioclase

33.0

-augite

34.0

-hornblende

35.0
36.0

Basic
45% - 55%

43.0 -magnetite &

Ilmeite
44.0

-plagioclase

45.0

-augite

46.0

-hornblende

47.0
48.0

Basic
45% - 55%

54.0
55.0
56.0
57.0
58.0
59.0
60.0
61.0
62.0
63.0
64.0
65.0
66.0
67.0
68.0

69.0

70.0
71.0

QUESTION AND DISCUSSION

72.0

ASNFASFA SFPNKJ AF

73.0

CONCLUSION

74.0

AJSNOALKNDOLJASC
75.0
76.0