Rock types and formation

Modified from a PowerPoint presentation prepared by

Oluseyi Abegunde CPUT
 Diagram of the Interior of
Crust the Earth
0 to 40 km
0°C

Upper Mantle
40 to 670 km
1,000°C

Lower Mantle
670 to 2,890 km
2,000°C

Outer Core
2,890 to 5,150 km
3,700°C

Inner Core
5,150 to 6,370 km
4,300°C
There is a hierarchy
Atoms to the
make up elements.
elements of Geology

Elements combine to form

the natural compounds.

Natural compounds
and elements combine
to form minerals.
.

Minerals make up rocks.

Rocks make up the Earth.

 O
Na Mg Al Si
K Ca Fe

Only eight elements make up over 98%

of the earth’s crust!
 CHARACTERIZING ROCKS

There are 3 major types of rocks

IGNEOUS – formed from molten magma

SEDIMENTARY – formed from sediment (soil, sand, etc,) –
formed by the “cementing together” of small grains of sediment.
METAMORPHIC – formed by applying heat and pressure to
other existing rocks
 Sedimentary
CEMETERY Metamorphic
METABOLIC
Rocks Rocks

Igneous
INGENIOUS
Rocks Right?
The Rock Cycle – a
representation of the
interrelationship
between different
types of rocks.
 The Rock Cycle explains
how Rocks and Natural Processes
are related
weathering
Sedimentary Metamorphic

t
hea
me

re,
ltin

ssu
g

pre

Igneous
The mantle, crust and surface of the earth
can be thought of as a giant recycling machine;
rocks are neither created nor destroyed,
but redistributed and transformed from
one rock type to another.

M I
 IGNEOUS ROCKS

• These are rocks formed by the cooling of molten rock

(magma.)

Magma
volcano
cools and
solidifies
forming
igneous
rocks

magma
Becoming an IGNEOUS ROCK …

Any existing rock – igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary -

can be subjected to enough heat and or pressure causing it to
melt.
Molten rock is called magma.
When magma cools to a solid it becomes an igneous rock.

The kind of igneous rock formed depends on what was

melted and how it cooled.

Igneous rocks are classified based on their mineral

composition and texture.
 Igneous rocks found in Michigan include:

granite basalt rhyolite

granodiorite pegmatite
 SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
• Sedimentary Rocks are rocks formed
when particles of sediment build up

Getting older
and are “cemented together” by the
effect of pressure and minerals.

Fragments washed to the sea

Rocks are broken

up by the action
of weather sea

Sedimentary
rocks
Becoming a SEDIMENTARY ROCK …

The igneous rock granite can

be physically weathered to
produce clay and sand.

These sediments can be transported deposited

and lithified to form sedimentary rocks.

Clay can become shale

Sand can become sandstone.
Becoming a SEDIMENTARY ROCK …

The metamorphic rock gneiss

can be physically weathered
to produce clay and sand.

These sediments can be transported deposited

and lithified to form sedimentary rocks.

Clay can become shale

Sand can become sandstone.
Becoming a SEDIMENTARY ROCK …

Sedimentary rocks can be physically

weathered to produce sediments that can
become other sedimentary rocks.
 Becoming a SEDIMENTARY ROCK …

H2O + CO2  H2CO3

Chemical weathering dissolves the minerals in rocks.
The resulting dissolved compounds could form evaporites like rock
salt or rock gypsum or chemical precipitates like some kinds of
limestones. What forms depends upon composition and
depositional environment factors.

2KAlSi3O8+ 2H+ + H2O 

Al2Si2O5(OH)4+ 2K+ + 4SiO2
 METAMORPHIC ROCKS
• Metamorphic rocks are formed by the effect of heat and
pressure on existing rocks.
• This can greatly affect the hardness, texture or layer
patterns of the rocks.

Pressure from surface

rocks

metamorphic
rock
forming
here

Magma heat
Becoming a METAMORPHIC ROCK …

If the igneous rock basalt is exposed to sufficient heat and or

pressure it can be transformed into the metamorphic rock call
metabasalt

When the prefix meta is

applied to a rock name
that means that the
original rock has been
metamorphosed.
Becoming a METAMORPHIC ROCK …

If the sedimentary rock limestone or dolomite

is metamorphosed it can become the
metamorphic rock marble.

If the sedimentary rock sandstone is

metamorphosed it can become the
metamorphic rock quartzite.

If the sedimentary rock shale is

metamorphosed it can become the
metamorphic rock slate.
Becoming a METAMORPHIC ROCK …

If the metamorphic rock slate is metamorphosed it can

become the
metamorphic rock phyllite

If the metamorphic rock phyllite is

metamorphosed it can become the metamorphic
rock schist.

If the metamorphic rock schist is metamorphosed it

can become the metamorphic rock gneiss.
CHARACTERIZING ROCKS

The three major characterizing features of rocks are:

• Color

• Composition (Mineralogy/Chemistry)
• Texture

Note: Even the most sophisticated

geological classification schemes are
based on these features
CHARACTERIZING ROCKS

Classification by Color
Color Index (used mainly for igneous rocks)

• Leucocratic – light color

• Mesocratic – intermediate color
• Melanocratic – dark color
and/or
• Felsic – rich in light colored minerals
• Mafic – rich in dark colored minerals
IGNEOUS ROCKS

Textures of Igneous Rocks

• Aphanitic – fine-grained. Individual grains
can’t be seen with naked eye
• Phaneritic - grains easily seen with the naked
eye
• Porphyritic – larger grains in finer grains •
Inclusions
> Xenoliths
> Xenocrysts
Vesicular &
Glassy
Textures
Xenoliths
Xenocryst
 SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

Detrital & Chemical Rock Classification

Detrital Rocks Chemical Rocks

Conglomerate Limestone
Sandstones Chert (Flint)
Siltstone Salt (Evaporite)
Shale
DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

Detrital rocks are classified based on particle size and grain shape
DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Conglomerates
• Poorly Sorted particle sizes
• Well-rounded particles
• Usually particles are gravel sized
DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Breccia
• Poorly sorted grains

• Angular grains

• Gravel sized grains

DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Sandstone
• Well sorted particles

• Particles can be angular to rounded

• Sand-sized Particles
DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Shale
• Microscopic grain size
• Consist of silt and clay size grains
• Cannot see grains with naked eye
• Occur in “quiet” depositional environments
CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Classification
• Inorganic - Not produced by living things.

• Biochemical - Are produced by or are remnants of living things (e.g. shell

fragments, coral reefs, etc)
CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Limestone
• Most abundant chemical rock
• Inorganic (oolitic limestone,
Travertine) or Biochemical (Chalk,
Coquina)
LIMESTONE (CHEMICAL ROCKS)

• Travertine
• Common in caves
• Happen when calcium carbonate
is precipitated out of
groundwater
LIMESTONE (CHEMICAL ROCKS)

• Coquina
• Consists of
loosely
cemented shell
fragments
Fossiliferous limestone Limestone
Fine-grained limestone
CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

• Chert (Flint)
• Consists of Microcrystalline Silica
• Two major occurrences of chert
• Irregular shaped nodules in limestone
• layers of rock
• Most likely Biochemical
Cross-section through a geoid showing silica layering
Flint
METAMORPHIC ROCKS

• Classified into two main groups

• Foliated Rocks
• Non-foliated Rocks
 Metamorphic Rocks
FOLIATED ROCKS

• Progression of Shale to Gneiss

• Slate Low Metamorphic Grade
• Phyllite
• Schist
• Gneiss High Metamorphic Grade
 Metamorphic Rocks
FOLIATED TEXTURES

• Slaty - very fine-grained, fissile

• Phyllitic - fine-grained, foliated, shinny

• Schistose - foliated, large grains visible

• Gneissic - light and dark bands

 SLATE

• Parent Rock

• Shale
• Slaty Cleavage
 PHYLLITE

• Parent Rock

• Slate
• Characteristic sheen/shine
• Phyllitic Texture
 SCHIST

• Parent Rock

• Phyllite
• Characteristic scaly
appearance
• Schistosity
 GNEISS

• Parent Rock

• Schist
• Characteristic of light
and dark banding
• Gneissic Texture
 Metamorphic Rocks
NON-FOLIATED ROCKS
• Rocks that show no Foliation
• Crystalline Rocks
• Marble
• Quartzite
• Anthracite (coal)
 MARBLE

• Parent Rock

• Limestone or
Dolostone
• Reacts to Acid
 QUARTZITE

• Parent Rock
• Sandstone
• Moderate to high
metamorphism
• Very Hard
 Anthracite (coal)

 Parent material
– Plant matter
 High
metamorphism
 Shinny and hard