Laboratory Exercise No.

2
Soil – Forming Rocks and Minerals

Name : Jacky Lou A. Germano Conducted: March 10, 2022 Date

Lab. Section : C098 Soil 22 Laboratory Date Submitted: March 10, 2022
Lab. Instructor: Mark Anthony M. Barbadillo Rating:

DATA SHEET

Table 1. Important chemical and physical properties of primary and secondary minerals.

Minerals Chemical properties Physical properties

Chemical Formula Reaction Color Streak Hardness Essential
to HCl element/s
(+) or (-) present
Calcite CaCO₃ + white white or 3 Mg, Mn, Fe,
colorless boron [B],
bromine
[Br], Sr, and
or Y
Quartz SiO2 + white, white 7 O, Si
citrine
yellow,
amethyst
purple and
rose quartz
is pink
Hematite Fe2O3 + Steel gray red to red- 5.5–6.5 Fe, O
to black; brown
blood red in
thin slivers
or crystals
Orthoclase KAlSi₃O₈ - Colorless, white 6 – 6.5 K
greenish,
greyish
yellow,
white, pink
Apatite Ca5[PO4]3(OH,F,Cl) + usually white 5 Ca, P
green, less
often
colorless,
yellow,
blue to
violet, pink,
brown.
Kaolinite Al2O3 2SiO2 - to + White to white 2 – 2.5 Ca , Na, and
cream, K
sometimes
red, blue or
brown tints
from
impurities
and pale-
 yellow; also
often
stained
various
hues, tans
and browns
being
common
Montmorillonite Al2H2O12Si4 - White, pale white 1–2 Na, Ca, Al,
pink, blue, Mg,
yellow, red, Si(silicate)
green
Gibbsite Al(OH)3 - Bluish, white 2.5-3 Al
Green, (aluminum)
Green
white,
Gray, Gray
white.

Table 2. Important properties of rocks

Type of Rock Minerals contained Color Texture

Andesite plagioclase feldspar and amphibole gray porphyritic

Basalt Olivine and augite dark gray to black porphyritic

Pumice feldspar, augite, hornblende, and zircon white, cream, Vesicular

blue or grey, to
green-brown or
black
Sandstone quartz, feldspar, and lithic fragments tan, brown, clastic
yellow, red, grey,
pink, white, and
black
Limestone alcium carbonate (calcite) or the double White or gray granular
carbonate of calcium and magnesium
(dolomite)
Shale quartz, feldspars and clay minerals Dark Gray to clastic
Black
Marble clay minerals, micas, quartz, pyrite, iron bluish, gray, pink, Non-foliated;
oxides, and graphite yellow, or black Medium- to
coarse-grained
 QUESTIONS

1. How does mineral composition affect the weatherability of rocks?

Well in that case, minerals that are most reactive when mixed with water, oxygen and other
elements will weather more rapidly, as seen in rocks that contain iron. Rocks that contain softer minerals,
such as calcite, and those that are more porous, will also weather more rapidly.

2. Which do you think contains more nutrients, a soil formed from volcanic rocks or a soil from
limestone rock? Explain.

For me volcanic rocks soil are contains more nutrients because, the soil in this region is rich
because volcanic eruption deposit the necessary minerals, which are then weathered and broken down by
rain. Once absorbed into the soil, they become a steady supply of nutrients for plant life

3. How would you explain the abundance of andesite and basalt in Leyte?

Leyte was formed from geologic uplift and faulting during the time of active volcanism in the late
Miocene and Quaternary period hence, andesitic, basaltic, and dacitic lava flows and pyroclastics are the
dominant rocks in central Leyte (Aurelio 1992, Asio 1996, Jahn & Asio 2006). Additionally, during the drier
period of the Quaternary, the effects of climatic changes on landform development were distinctive in the
Philippine archipelago and other parts of the Southeast Asian region because of the monsoonal system
prevalent at the time (Verstappen 1997). Thus, the pedology of most Philippine islands including Leyte has
been greatly influenced by rock types and relief characteristics.