Rocks and Minerals Cheat Sheet

by Rachel (psychedx0ut) via cheatography.com/31385/cs/9514/

Minerals Minerals (cont) Igneous Rocks (cont)

Potassium Salmon pink, white Dolomite Reacts slowly or not at all with HCl Basalt Extrusive, mafic
Feldspar Two cleavages at about 90 H = 3- Three indistinct cleavages (aphan​itic) Dark gray
H=6 degrees 3.5  Ca-plagioclase and olivine

Plagioclase White to dark gray Halite Clear to gray to red Basalt Extrusive, mafic
H=6 Two cleavages at almost 90 H = 2.5 Three perfect cleavages at 90 (vesic​ular) Dark gray
degrees degrees  Ca-plagioclase and olivine
Straight, parallel striations Salty taste
Andesite Extrusive, intermediate
Quartz Conchoidal fracture (porph​yritic) Fine-grained
H=7 Vitreous luster Igneous Vocabulary Gray
 Plagioclase and
Muscovite Colorless, silvery white, Phaneritic Coarse​-gr​ained (>1 mm)
H = 2-2.5 brownish silvery white hornblende or biotite
Aphanitic Fine-g​rained (<1 mm)
One perfect cleavage Rhyolite Extrusive, felsic
Transparent, flexible, and Pegmatitic Except​ionally large crystals (>3 Fine-grained version of
cm)
elastic in thin sheets granite

Biotite Black to brownish black Porphy​ritic Two crystal sizes Tuff Extrusive
H = 2.5-3 One perfect cleavage Phenoc​rysts Larger crystals (pyroc​lastic) Particle size less than 6.4 cm
Flexible and elastic in thin Groundmass Smaller crystals surrou​nding Obsidian Extrusive, felsic
sheets
phenoc​rysts (glassy)
Hornblende Black
Vesicular Bubbles Pumice Extrusive, felsic
(Amphibole) Two perfect cleavages at 124
Pyrocl​astic Multiple fragments Vesicular
H=5 and 56 degrees Very light
Splintery
Igneous Rocks Scoria Extrusive, mafic
Augite Black to dark green Vesicular
(Pyroxene) Two imperfect cleavages at Gabbro Intrusive, mafic
Black to reddish brown
H = 5-6 almost 90 degrees (phane​ritic) Ca-plagioclase, black

Olivine Olive green to yellow green pyroxene, olivine

Metamo​rphic Vocabulary
H = 6.5-7 Granular Diorite Intrusive, intermediate
Foliated Parallel or nearly parallel planes
Gypsum Clear, white, light gray (phane​ritic) Na-Ca-plagioclase and

H=2 Vitreous to pearly hornblende Slaty Foliation made of minerals to small

 Biotite and quartz to see without a microscope
Pyrite Metallic
Granite Intrusive, felsic Phyllitic Foliation composed of minerals
H = 6-6.5 Brass yellow
(phane​ritic) Quartz and K-feldspar visible with handlens to barely
Calcite Clear, white, others
 Na-plagioclase, biotite, and visible to naked eye
H=3 Three perfect cleavages form
hornblende
Schistose Foliation composed of mineral
rhombic cleavage fragments
Granite Intrusive, felsic crystals large enough to see
Reacts strongly with HCl
(porph​yritic) Coarse-grained unaided
Two crystal sizes Gneissic Coarse foliation
Granite Intrusive, felsic Parallel band or layers of light and
pegmatite Very coarse​-gr​ained dark minerals

By Rachel (psychedx0ut) Published 18th October, 2016. Sponsored by CrosswordCheats.com

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 Rocks and Minerals Cheat Sheet
by Rachel (psychedx0ut) via cheatography.com/31385/cs/9514/

Metamo​rphic Rocks Metamo​rphic Rocks (cont)

Foliated Metaconglomerate Low to medium grade

Slate Low grade; Very fine grained Conglomerate,

graywacke, chert
Generally dark
Shale or mudstone Hornfels Low grade; Contact
Fine grained; Dark
Phyllite Low grade; Fine grained
Silky, shiny Varies

Shale or mudstone
Sedime​ntary Rocks
Schist Intermediate
Medium to coarse grained Quartz Sand grains of quartz
Shale or mudstone sandstone White, rusty brown

Gneiss High grade Conglo​merate Made of pebbles

Medium to coarse grained
Limestone Calcite
Shale, mudstone, or granite
Bubbles in acid
Migmatite Border between igneous and
Shale Fissile
metamorphic
Black to gray, red, or green
Medium to coarse grained
Dolostone Lesser reaction with acid
Shale, mudstone, or granite
Crystalline
Nonfoliated
Light gray or buff
Marble Grade varies
Chert Microc​rys​talline quartz
Coarsely crystalline
Conchoidal fracture
Limestone or dolostone
Coal Brown to black
Quarzite Grade varies
Noncrystalline
Crystalline
Quartz sandstone Mudstone Not fissile
Black to gray, red, or green
Anthracite Low to medium grade
coal Conchoidal fracture Sandstone Made of sand

Coal Oolite Limestone

Sand-sized spheres
Greenstone Low to medium grade
Greenish gray to black Coquina Limestone
Basalt or gabbro Poorly cemented bioclastic
debris
Amphib​olite Medium to high grade
Dark gray to black Breccia Angular particles
Medium to coarse grained Rock Gypsum White, light gray
Basalt or gabbro Crystalline
Soapstone Low to medium grade
Gray to dark greenish gray Sedime​ntary Vocabulary
Fine grained; Soft
Clastic Clasts bound together
Peridotite

Serpen​tinite Variable grade Bioclastic Abundant fossils or fossil

fragments
Greenish
Mottled or streaked Crystalline Interl​ocking crystals
Peridotite Fissile Splits into sheets

By Rachel (psychedx0ut) Published 18th October, 2016. Sponsored by CrosswordCheats.com

cheatography.com/psychedx0ut/ Last updated 18th October, 2016. Learn to solve cryptic crosswords!
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