David Norbury

D Engineering Geologist N IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF ROCKS In accordance with BS 5930:1999 Amendment 1 and BS EN ISO 14689
ROCK MATERIAL ROCK MASS

DIMENSION ROCK MATERIAL ROCK NAME GENERAL DISCONTINUITIES

Structure Grain Minor
Strength Colour Texture SEDIMENTARY IGNEOUS METAMORPHIC Formation Name Weathering Orientation Spacing Persistence Termination Roughness Wall strength Aperture Infilling Seepage No of sets
and fabric size Constituents
>250 MPa Use Very high
Extremely standard Use Describe Name Approach 1 Dip direction Extremely > 20 m Cannot
Strong geological standard using relative according to and dip widely High Large scale (m) benormally
described Clean
terms geological terms published Mandatory

cores although division into sets with

>6m 10 to 20 m in cores

feasible and can be usefully carried

Rings on terms geological description of

Cannot be described in detail in

hammer blows. Very eg 245/70 Very widely Medium Waviness Use standard

different dip amounts is often

Massive maps and all features
Only chipped thickly LIGHTNESS Foliated memoirs associated with 3 to 10 m Curvature strength terms Extremely Wide
2 to 6 m
with geological weathering
2000 mm rare Dip amount only Low Straightness (Col 2) > 1 000 mm
hammer
Light COAL in cores 1 to 3 m Surface
Widely
MEASURES

out
100 - 250 MPa Thickly Dark CONGLOMERATE GRANITE occasional 0.6 to 2 m Very Low Support by staining
630 mm Very Strong <1m x outside using (colour)
for example frequent Medium exposure Medium scale Very Wide
Requires many
Medium BRECCIA GNEISS WEATHERED Describe state (cm) and small Field strength 100 - 1000 mm
hammer blows 200 to 600 mm
WICKERSLEY and changes in scale (mm)
200 mm to break CHROMA r within tests
specimen ROCK
phaneritic Closely rock
Coarse grained

Soil infilling
Thinly Pinkish LIMESTONE 60 to 200 mm Stepped
(describe as for
63 mm 50 - 100 MPa laminated / Reddish vugs Strength d against Rough Point load
DIORITE soils, see over)
Strong Yellowish ophitic AGGLOMERATE MIGMATITE RESIDUAL Very closely discontinuity Wide
Very thinly Brownish shells MUDSTONE 20 to 60 mm Smooth 10 - 100 mm
Rock broken by
20 mm more than one Greenish Fracture state Schmidt
hammer blow Thickly Bluish porphyritic DOLOMITE MARBLE pyrite Striated hammer Moisture on
laminated / Greyish Extremely rock surface
6.3 mm 25 - 50 MPa Narrowly VOLCANIC GABBRO crystals Colour closely Moderately Mineral
Undulating
Medium Strong crystalline BRECCIA < 20 mm Rough Other index wide coatings(eg

Record spacing and orientation of each set

calcite, chlorite,
HUE organics SHERWOOD Cannot tests 2.5 to 10 mm
Cannot be gypsum etc)
2 mm peeled with Thinly SANDSTONE Presence or Discontinuous Dripping
normally Smooth
knife, fractures laminated / Pink amorphous SANDSTONE MICROGRANITE SCHIST colours absence of
be described Visual Open water
Coarse

with single blow Very weathering

of hammer narrowly Red HALITE
products in cores Striated assessment 0.5 to 2.5 mm Water flow
measured per
Medium grained

0.63 mm Yellow GREYWACKE odours

unit time on an
Brown LEWES Continuous
Medium

DOLERITE Planar individual

5 - 25 MPa Green PHYLLITE CHALK in cores Rough Other -
QUARTZITE Partly open discontinuity or
0.2 mm Weak Blue 0.25 to 0.5 mm specify set of
White MICRODIORITE QUARTZITE Smooth Tight discontinuities
Can be peeled TUFF
Fine

with difficulty. Grey 0.1 to 0.25 mm

0.063 mm Point of Black ANHYDRITE Approaches Striated Very Tight Large
hammer makes SILTSTONE RHYOLITE DISTINCTLY 4 or 5 > 5 l/sec
< 0.1 mm
shallow indents WEATHERED
SLATE
MERCIA Classify only if
0.02 mm 1 - 5 MPa Terms useful and Take several Record Measure Take several Record width, Medium
MUDSTONE
Fine grained

Very Weak include ANDESITE unambiguous readings amplitude and readings continuity and 0.5 - 5.0 l/sec
CHALK size of
bedded /
exposure wavelength of relevant
Crumbles under laminated,
0.006 mm firm hammer foliated, GYPSUM HORNFELS Report feature Report characteristics Small
blows. Can be banded BASALT minimumand
average minimumand
average of infill 0.05 - 5.0 l/sec
Fine grained
peeled by knife and flow maximum maximum
TUFF
banded.
0.002 mm FRACTURE STATE
0.6 - 1.0 MPa MUDSTONE Solid Core Solid core is taken as core with at least one full diameter (but not necessarily a full circumference) measured along the core axis or other scan
Extremely weak
Very fine

line between two natural fractures.

grained

Gravel size Very fine grained

lumps crush TUFF TCR Percentage ratio of core recovered (both solid and non-intact) to the total length of core run.
between finger
and thumb. CHERT OBSIDIAN SCR Percentage ratio of solid core recovered to the total length of core run.
Crypto-crystalline

Indented by
thumbnail
FLINT VOLCANIC RQD Total length of solid core pieces each greater than 100 mm between natural fractures expressed as a percentage of total length of core run.
GLASS
If Average length of solid core pieces between natural fractures over core lengths of reasonably uniform characteristics, not core runs.
FI Number of fractures per metre over core lengths of reasonably uniform characteristics