25/8/2018 Test 5

Tellus II ‑ Assignment 5: Rock groups

Print!
I recommend that you print your answer BEFORE you click SUBMIT. Why?

To complete this assignment you need to complete all of the practical assignments below. Please note that each assessed question is
preceded by one or more questions which refer you to the reading material for the course. It is important that you take the time to
use the reading material to check your answers to each of these questions. This will be assessed in the final exam. When you have
answered all of the questions, please send your answers to me by clicking on the "Submit" button.

In addition to scientific papers referred to below, you should re‑read interlude A in Earth: Portrait of a Planet by S. Marshak.
You might also benefit from referring back to assignment A in Tellus I ‑ Geology and the MathTutor.

There is no time limit, so you might want to print this page and fill in your answers first by hand. You can then return to this page to
enter and submit your answers.

Please use '.' not ',' for decimal places and I advise you to be extra careful to give your answers in the correct units.

Please do not forget to write your NAME, SWEDISH ID NUMBER and E‑MAIL ADDRESS. This is very important, because otherwise I won't
know that it is your assignment that I have received!

Good luck!

Emelie

Name: Susana Garcia Mayo

Swedish ID number: 850817 ‑ 0944
E‑mail: susanamayog@gmail.co

Introduction
The purpose of this fifth assignment of Tellus II is for you to gain experience distinguishing between the three rock groups: igneous
rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks. You are referred to a chart for distinguishing between the rock groups for
common specimens which you can download here. It is important that you follow the procedure which is described in this chart even
if you think that you know which rock group a rock belongs to. In the following assignments, I refer to rocks by number. This number
refers to the position of the mineral in your rock specimen box. If you have mixed up the specimens in your boxes you can download
images here.

Minerals and rocks

In practical assignment 1, we will examine the geologic definitions of the terms mineral and rock. If you are unsure about these
definitions, I refer you to chapter 5 and interlude A of Earth: Portrait of a Planet by S. Marshak

Is garnet a mineral?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
Is granite a mineral?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
Is water a mineral?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
Is snow a mineral?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
Is DNA a mineral?
Click here to check your answer to this question.

1. Provide geologic definitions of the terms mineral and rock (2 credits).

Minerals are always naturally occurring, always homogeneous, sometimes organic and always solid.

http://tellus.geo.su.se/tellus1/tellus2.html 1/2
25/8/2018 Test 5
They always have an order atomic structure and they always have a chemical formula.

Rocks are always naturally occurring, sometimeshomogeneous, sometimes

organic and always solid.
They never have an order atomic structure and they neverhave a chemical formula.

Rock groups

In practical assignment 2, you are asked to classify each of the rock specimens in your Tellus II rock box as igneous, metamorphic or
sedimentary.

How are igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks formed? Check your answers by referring to chapter 5 of Earth: Portrait of a
Planet by S. Marshak.

What textural/mineralogical evidence confirms that specimen 6 in your Tellus I mineral and rock box is igneous?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
What textural evidence confirms that specimen 8 in your Tellus I mineral and rock box is sedimentary?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
What textural evidence confirms that specimen 9 in your Tellus I mineral and rock box is metamorphic?
Click here to check your answer to this question.
2. Use the chart for distinguishing between the rock groups for common specimens provided to classify each of the rock
specimens in your Tellus II rock box as igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. You will also need to refer to the chart for
identification of typical specimens of common igneous rocks provided to determine if a mineral assemblage can be classified as
igneous. Motivate your classification by considering if the rock is comprised of grains, crystals, fossils or organic material, if it is
foliated and/or if it has an igneous mineral assemblage (18 credits).

Enter your answers in the following table:

Classification Motivation
1 Igneous No clue which one could be but I can see crystals inserted, so it has to be igneous
2 Igneous Diorite (looks between felsic granite & mafic gabbro). Phaneritic structure (large crystals)
3 Igneous Granite. Felsic rock. Coarse‑grained, color varies depending on the minerals, phaneritic structure
4 Metamorphic Quartzite. Non‑foliated. Glassy and grainy surface
5 Metamorphic Foliated rock, very fine‑grained. Characteristic silky silverly/pearlish sheen (phyllite)
6 Metamorphic Gneiss. Foliated, characteristic gneissic banding (darker and lighter colored bands)
7 Sedimentary Looks like shale. Breaks in laminae (fissility), usual grey color but this looks pretty black to me.
8 Metamorphic Foliated.
9 Sedimentary Conglomerate. I'd not say that it's formed by pebbles but looks like sand cemented. Low hardness (I broke it a bit)
10 Igneous Igneous mineral assemblage (dark bright crystals incrusted)
11 Sedimentary Limestone. Very fine‑grained, light color, made of CaCO3 (?)
12 Sedimentary Mudstone, fine‑grained, individual grains impossible to be distinguished by eye.
13 Sedimentary It contains fossils
14 Igneous To me it looks like porphyry, with large‑grained crystals dispersed in fine‑grained matrix
15 Metamorphic No foliation. Pink‑redish mineral (garnet?) in a green matrix (mineral assemblage). Could be eclogite.
16 Sedimentary It has fossils
17 Metamorphic No foliation. Black mineral assemblage in a greyish matrix
18 Igneous Porphyritic andesite(?) with zeolites(?, large crystals)) inserted in the matrix

If you have answered all 2 questions, you are now finished with assignment 5 which you should send to me by pressing the 'Submit'
button below. It is important that you have fully understanding the techniques used to distinguish between the rock groups. These
will be used continually throughout the course. If not, this is the time to review the reading material from Earth: Portrait of a Planet
by S. Marshak.

Submit!

http://tellus.geo.su.se/tellus1/tellus2.html 2/2