IUGS Nomenclature

Pathway to Mineral Exploration

J. K. Aravind
Senior Geologist
Petrology Division Albert Streckeisen
(1901 – 1998)
Geological Survey of India
Training Institute
Mission-V
 Why we
should name
the rock?

Why we should
bother about the
chemistry rock?

Why we should
know about the
genesis of the
rock?
J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI,
07-02-2024 2
Hyderabad
What is IUGS Nomenclature?

Why IUGS Nomenclature is needed?

When IUGS Sub-committees formed?

How many years it took to materialize?

How many countries contributed?

What are the scopes of IUGS Nomenclature?

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J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI, Hyderabad
Crystallography Geochemistry Mineralogy Optical
• Crystal system • Elements • Physical Mineralogy
• Orientations • Periodic table properties • Optical
• Periodic • Practice Properties
Properties • Practice

Pre-requisites for IUGS

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Hyderabad
What was the long standing problems for systematic
approach to classify and name the igneous rocks?
There are several long-standing problems which were existed for the
system approach to classifying and naming igneous rocks:
• unnecessary proliferation of names
• uncertain and changing definition for even the most common rocks
names
• mineral-based classifications cannot be applied to volcanic rocks.

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Rocks & Minerals Identification by Petrography Petrogenesis
• Minerals Properties • Distinguish • Physically
• Rocks • Physical • Confirm • Optically
• Practice • Chemical • Name • Chemically
• Optical • Practice is must to • Practice
• Practice become master

Components required for the Petrology

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Hyderabad
 What are the pre-requisites for the naming the rock according to the IUGS?

Fundamentals of Naming of
Mineralogy (Physical
Minerals (crystal and Petrography the Rock
and Optical)
chemistry) (IUGS)

J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI,

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Hyderabad
 Scopes & Significance

• Classification
• Geological Mapping
• Mineral Exploration

J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI,

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Hyderabad
 What are the two principal factors used in IUGS
classification of Igneous Rocks?

1. Modal Mineralogy: The mode or actual mineral content in volume % is

one of the two main bases of classification. (Exceptions: Glassy rocks,
very fine grained rocks and pyroclastic rocks)
2. Grain Size: Grain-size descriptions of igneous rocks should include the
following information:
• Range of typical grain lengths
• Typical length/width ratios

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Hyderabad
 What are the Recommendations of the IUGS Sub-
commission on Igneous Rocks?

1. Modal Parameters
2. Root Names and Qualifiers
3. Steps to identifying a rocks

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Hyderabad
 Modal Parameters

The following five mineral groupings are used to classify the igneous rocks:
1. Q-quartz, trydimite, cristobalite
2. A-alkali feldspar including albite up to An5
3. P-plagioclase (An5 to An100) and scapolite
4. F-feldspathoids (foids) including nepheline, leucite, kalsilite, sodalite,
cancrinite and zeolite.
5. M-mafic and other minerals such as mica, amphiboles, pyroxenes, olivine,
opaque minerals, accessories such as apatite and zircon, melilite and
primary carbonates.

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Hyderabad
 Root Names and Qualifiers

• Various root names can be assigned on the basis of modal parameters and
grain size.
• Typical qualifiers are the mineral names, textural terms and general
descriptive terms. There are no restrictions in using the qualifiers.
• If more than one qualifying mineral name is given, the order should be
one of the increasing abundance.
a. Pyroxene biotite dacite contains more biotite than pyroxene.

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 Root Names and Qualifiers

• Rocks containing glass are described as:

• Glass-bearing (0-20 % glass)
• Glass-rich (20-50 %)
• Glassy (50-80 %)
• Obsidian (> 80 %)
• Colour index is defined in terms of the relative percentage of pale
minerals (felsic minerals and M-group minerals such as apatite,
muscovite and calcite).
• Leucocratic (65 to 100%)
• Mesocratic (35 to 65 %)
• Melanocratic (10 to 35 %)
• Ultramafic (0 to 10 %)
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J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI, Hyderabad
 Do You Know?

1. Why charnockite is considered as

igneous rock?
2. Why most peridotites and dunites
are metamorphic rather than
igneous?

J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI,

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Hyderabad
 Steps to identifying a Igneous rock

IUGS classification is hierarchical and a series of steps is to be followed when identifying an

igneous rocks.
1. If the rock is pyroclastic (fragmental)
2. If the modal primary carbonate is > 50 %
3. If the rock is mafic / ultramafic
4. If the rock is a minor intrusive or a minor leucite bearing extrusive
5. If A, P, F minerals are absent or restricted to the matrix (except leucite which may be a
phenocryst), then the rock may be a lamprophyre, lamproite or kimberlite
6. If the rock has M > 90% and modal melilite >10 % , then they are ultramafic melilitic rocks
7. If the rock is felsic and contains orthopyroxene
8. If none of the above applies, and the rock is plutonic
9. If the rocks is volcanic
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 If the rock is pyroclastic/fragmental-Pyroclastic rocks

• Bombs: >64% mm mean diameter (wholly or partly molten during

formation)
• Blocks: >64 mm mean diameter (not molten during formation)
• Lapilli: 2 to 64 mm mean diameter
• Ash Grains: < 2 mm mean diameter

Shards: Fragments of glass which are usually of ash grain size

J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI,

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 If the rock is pyroclastic/fragmental-Pyroclastic rocks

Pyroclastic Rock Terminology

1. Tephra: Any unlithified pyroclastic deposit often qualified to
indicate fragment size (e.g., block tephra, lapilli tephra)
2. Agglomerate: Any deposit made of bombs and/or blocks. Lithified
agglomerate can be called pyroclastic breccia.
3. Ash: Any unlithified deposit made of ash grains
4. Tuff: Any lithified deposit made of ash grains
5. Common Qualifiers: Ash and tuff may be described as coarse or
fine depending on ash grain size. In addition, they may be qualified
as vitric, crystal, or lithic according to the proportion of ash

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Classification of polymodal pyroclastic rocks based on the proportions
of blocks/bombs, lapilli and ash (after Fisher, 1966).

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If we come across the Pyroclastic rocks, then what are the
data to be collected?

1. Look for the mean diameter of the pyroclasts

2. Look for the qualifiers (grain size, type of fragments, etc)
3. Classify the tuff and ash based on IUGS recommendations
4. Look for the distinctive textures (accretionary, eutaxitic, etc)
5. Examine the shape of the shards (lobate, cuspate, etc)
6. Determine whether the glass is altered or not
(vitrified/devitrified)

J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI,

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Hyderabad
If the modal primary carbonate is > 50 %-Carbonatite

• Carbonatite is either plutonic or volcanic

• It contains > 50 % carbonate minerals
• Calcite carbonatite: most carbonate is calcite
• Sovite: Coarse-grained carbonatite
• Alvikite: Fine-grained carbonatite
• Beforsite: Most carbonate is dolomite
• Ferrocarbonatite: Most carbonate is iron rich
• Natrocarbonatite: Mostly Na-K-Ca-carbonates

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If the modal primary carbonate is > 50 %-Carbonatite

• The usual order of carbonate crystallisation is Calcite, Dolomite and

Ankerite
• Qualifiers: the presence of minor phases (<10%) cab be specified as
‘ankerite bearing’.
• If the carbonates are 10 to 50 %, then the rock is ‘carbonatitic’, not
carbonatite. E.g., Carbonatitic ijolite.

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• How do you classify the carbonatites?
• Why optically it is difficult to classify the type of carbonatite?
• If optical classification is difficult, then how do we classify the
carbonatites?

• Optically it is difficult to specify the type of carbonate minerals

hence, it may be difficult to classify the type of carbonatite under
the petrographical microscope.
• If optical classification is difficult, then we do classify the
carbonatites by chemical classification.

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 Lamprophyres

• Lamprophyres are rich in mafic minerals, often Ti rich or

alkali varieties of biotite, phlogopite, amphibole or
pyroxene.
• they normally occur as dykes and are not simply textural
varieties of common plutonic or volcanic rocks
• They are mesocratic to melanocratic
• Phenocrysts are mafic minerals
• Feldspars, feldspathoid and zeolite are restricted to
ground mass
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 Lamprophyre Terminology based on the mineral content

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 Lamproites

• Lamproites normally occur as dykes or small extrusions.

• Mineralogically they are characterized by the presence of widely
varying amounts (5 – 90 vol %) of the following primary phases:

(1) titanian, Al-poor phenocrystic phlogopite (TiO2 2% – 10%; Al2O3 5% – 12%)

(2) groundmass poikilitic titanian “tetraferriphlogopite” (TiO2 5% – 10%)
(3) titanian potassium richterite (TiO2 3% – 5%; K2O 4% – 6%)
(4) forsteritic olivine
(5) Al-poor, Na-poor diopside (Al2O3 < 1%; Na2O < 1%)
(6) non-stoichiometric iron-rich leucite (Fe2O3 1% – 4%)
(7) Fe-rich sanidine (typically Fe2O3 1% – 5%).

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Nomenclature of Lamproites recommended by IUGS Subcommission

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 Charnockitic Rocks

• The Charnockitic classification should be used only if the rock is

considered to belong to the charnockitic suite of rocks, which is
characterized by the presence of orthopyroxene (or fayalite plus
quartz) and, in many of the rocks, perthite, mesoperthite or
antiperthite (Streckeisen, 1974, 1976).
• They are often associated with norites and anorthosites and are
closely linked with Precambrian terranes.
• Classification is based on the QAP triangle

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J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI, Hyderabad
 Nomenclature of charnockitic rocks

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Perthites as the qualifiers for charnockitic rocks

• The sub commission recommended that in charnockitic rocks the

perthitic feldspars should be distributed between alkali and
plagioclase feldspars:
• Perthite- major component of alkali feldspar
• Mesoperthite- assigned equally between alkali feldspar and
plagioclase
• Antiperthite – Major component of plagioclase feldspar.
• E.g., if the charnockitic rock contains mesoperthite, then the rock
name is m-charnockite.

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How to we distinguish between the igneous charnockite and
metamorphic charnockite?

• By Petrography, it is possible to distinguish between them.

• Igneous charnockites have euhedral to subhedral feldspars.
• Carlsbad twinning is distinctive feature in igneous

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 Plutonic Rocks

Definition of Plutonic rocks

1.Formed by slow cooling
2.Relatively coarse-grained (> 3 mm) texture
3.Individual minerals can easily be seen with the naked
eye
4.Mafic minerals is < 90 %

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 J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division,
GSITI, Hyderabad
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 Modal classification of gabbroic rocks
based on the proportions of plagioclase
(Plag), pyroxene (Px), olivine (Ol),
orthopyroxene (Opx), clinopyroxene
(Cpx), and hornblende (Hbl) (after
Streckeisen, 1976). Rocks falling in the
shaded areas of either triangular
diagram may be further subdivided
according to the diagram pointed to by
the arrows.

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 Preliminary QAPF classification of plutonic
rocks for field use (after Streckeisen, 1976)

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 QAPF modal classification of
volcanic rocks (based on
Streckeisen, 1978)

The corners of the double triangle

are Q = quartz, A = alkali feldspar,
P = plagioclase and F =
feldspathoid.

This diagram must not be used for

rocks in which the mafic mineral
content, M, is greater than 90%.

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 Chemical classification of volcanic rocks
using TAS (total alkali–silica diagram)
(after Le Bas et al., 1986, Fig. 2). Rocks
falling in the shaded areas may be
further subdivided as shown in the table
pointed to by the arrow. The line
between the foidite field and the
basanite–tephrite field is dashed to
indicate that further criteria must be
used to separate these types.
Abbreviations: ol = normative olivine; q
= normative 100 * Q / (Q + or + ab + an).

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 Science doesn't teach it;
experience teaches it.
Find the pleasure of finding
things out.
Richard Feynman

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• What are the prerequisites for
studying mineralogy?
• Strong Desire with a clear
objective.
• Right Approach
• Common Sense
• Lateral Thinking
• Practice
• Experience
• Most important the science of
minerals-i.e., Mineralogy
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 The ultimate test of your
knowledge is your capacity to
convey it to another.
Richard Feynman

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• What are the prerequisites for
studying Geochemistry?
• Periodic Table
• Periodic Properties
• Ionic Substitution
• Bonding
• Coordination principle
• Most importantly applying the
chemistry in the minerals and
the rocks.

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 A Little learning is always a dangerous thing

• Enjoy Learning always and all the ways.

• Do wonders with your penetrative eyes and
lateral thinking.

07-02-2024 J.K. Aravind, Senior Geologist, Petrology Division, GSITI, Hyderabad 46

 Enjoy Learning
Always and All the ways
Danke Schoen
(Thank you very much)

J.K. Aravind
Email: aravind.jk@gsi.gov.in
Mobile: +91 9966033200

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