NATURE ROCKS AND MINERALS

Part I
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 Madan Mahal Fort
(Madan Singh , Gond King ; Built 1116
Refurbished in 15th Cenrury

Balancing Rocks
 Classification of minerals in the Rocks (on the basis of
major anions composition )

1.Silicates : (SiO4)4- (Most dominant in nature)

2.Carbonates: (CO3) 2-
3.Phosphates : (PO4)4-
4.Sulphates : (SO4)2-

Sulphides/sulfides : S 2-

Natural minerals show combinations of covalent-, electrovalent-,

van der Waals- bonding (locally hydrogen bonding)
 Madan Mahal Fort
(Madan Singh , Gond King ; Built 1116
Refurbished in 15th Cenrury

veins
Quartz (SiO2)
 Fracture : broken part with irregular surface

@Psengupta

Conchoidal fracture in quartz

Three dimensional network of Si-O. No plane

of weakness. High stress Fracture
Conchoid (Greek): gradual curvature of
Mussel shell .
Silica Tetrahedron (behaves as anions)

Charge : 4-

Foundation of silicate structure

Si can be replaced with Al

Two SiO4 tetrahedra : Si2O8

1.One oxygen atoms shared : 8-1=7 , Si:O= 2:7

Sorosilicates , Example: Epidote , Zoisite

1.Two oxygen atoms shared: 8-2=6, Si:O = 2:6 or 1:3 OR 4:11 Ino (Chain) silicates,
Example: Pyroxene , amphibole

3.Three oxygen atoms shared: 8-3=5, Si:O= 2: 5 Phyllosilicates (Sheet like)

Example: Mica (Biotite, Muscovite), Chlorite

3.All the four oxygen atoms shared: 8-4=4, Si:O= 1:2 Tectosilicates, Example : Quartz, K-
feldspar, Plagioclase
4.No Oxygen shared : Si:O =1:4 Nessosilicates Example: Oluvine, Garnet
Silicates are classified on the basis of Si-O polymerism

low-quartz

[SiO2] 3-D frameworks of tetrahedra: fully polymerized Tectosilicates

quartz and the silica minerals feldspars feldspathoids zeolites
 Madan Mahal Fort
(Madan Singh , Gond King ; Built 1116
Refurbished in 15th Cenrury

veins Cleavage Planes- 2 sets at ~90o.

Quartz (SiO2)

K-Feldspar (KAlSi3O8)
TECTOSILICATES Colors of four dominant
minerals minerals (other
than quartz)
Pink
Plagioclase : xNaAlSi3O8+yCaAl2Si3O8 (solid solution) White
X>,= or < y x+y =1 Dark flaky and
White flaky
 Madan Mahal Fort
(Madan Singh , Gond King ; Built 1116
Refurbished in 15th Cenrury
Colors of four dominant minerals minerals
veins Pink
White
Dark flaky and
Quartz (SiO2)
White flaky

Phyllosilicate : Si:O = 2:5

(Al+3Si ) : O = 4:10 = 2:5
K
Biotite (K(Mg,Fe2+)3AlSi3O10(OH)2)
 Madan Mahal Fort
(Madan Singh , Gond King ; Built 1116
Refurbished in 15th Cenrury

veins

Muscovite: K Al3Si3O10(OH)2 Color:

Brownish white , one sheet is colorless

GRANITE: Quartz, K-feldpar, Plagioclase

(<K-feldslar) , Biotite and muscovite)
 Classification of Igneous Rocks
Textures:
Aphanitic- crystals too small to see by eye
Phaneritic- can see the constituent minerals
Fine grained- < 1 mm diameter
Medium grained- 1-5 mm diameter
Coarse grained- 5-50 mm diameter
Very coarse grained- > 50 mm diameter
Porphyritic- bimodal grain size distribution
Glassy- no crystals formed
 Classification of Igneous Rocks
Basis : Textures
Aphanitic- crystals too small to see by eye
Phaneritic- can see the constituent minerals
Fine grained- < 1 mm diameter
Medium grained- 1-5 mm diameter
Coarse grained- 5-50 mm diameter
Very coarse grained- > 50 mm diameter
Porphyritic- bimodal grain size distribution
Glassy- no crystals formed
 Textures: GRANITE: Quartz, K-feldpar, Plagioclase
Aphanitic- crystals too small to see(<K-feldslar)
by eye , Biotite and muscovite)
Phaneritic- can see the constituent minerals
Fine grained- < 1 mm diameter
Medium grained- 1-5 mm diameter Volcanic rocks
Coarse grained- 5-50 mm diameter
Very coarse grained- > 50 mm diameter
Porphyritic- bimodal grain size distribution
Glassy- no crystals formed
Plutonic rocks

Why this grain size variation?

Significance of glass?
Rhyolite: Same minerals like
Rapid
granite (with or cooling
withoutof magma produces fine grained rock. Quenched
glass) volcanic rock. Extremely fast cooling produces glass (No ordering
of atoms in crystals). WHY?

Slow cooling of magma (at depth) produces coarse grained rock,

Why?
 Quartz
Textures:
Aphanitic- crystals too small to see by eye
Phaneritic- can see the constituent minerals
Fine grained- < 1 mm diameter Conchoidal
fracture
Medium grained- 1-5 mm diameter
Coarse grained- 5-50 mm diameter Why both the materials
Very coarse grained- > 50 mm diameter show Conchoidal
Porphyritic- bimodal grain size distributionfracture?
Glassy- no crystals formed

Why Obsidian is glassy?

Porphyritic Granite
Obsidian
 Textures:
Aphanitic- crystals too small to see by eye
Phaneritic- can see the constituent minerals
Fine grained- < 1 mm diameter
Medium grained- 1-5 mm diameter
Coarse grained- 5-50 mm diameter
Very coarse grained- > 50 mm diameter
Porphyritic- bimodal grain size distribution
Glassy- no crystals formed

Why bimodal distributions of grain size?

Porphyritic Granite
Obsidian
Textures:
Aphanitic- crystals too small to see by
eye
Phaneritic- can see the constituent
minerals
Fine grained- < 1 mm diameter
Medium grained- 1-5 mm diameter
Coarse grained- 5-50 mm diameter
Very coarse grained- > 50 mm
diameter
Porphyritic- bimodal grain size
distribution Crystals are
Glassy- no crystals formed measured in cm
Felsic (Feldspar Silica) Minerals : Light colored, usually rich in SiO2
(>55 wt% SiO2)

Felsic Pegmatite
Interlocking texture : Grains are locked together .
Common Character of Igneous rocks
 Growth < Nucleation
Cooling rate
No nucleation

Cooling rate ?
Depth of Formation ?

Volcanic rocks
(Aphanitic and
Plutonic Rocks (Phaneritic rocks) Depth glassy)

Growth >> Nucleation

 DARK ROCKS (MAFIC ROCKS (Significant plagioclase) +
ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS, very little or NO plagioclase)) SiO2 < 55wt%
MAFIC (MA= Magnesium + FIC (Fe) in Latin) MineralsExample: Pyroxene, Amphibole,
Olivine (Olive colored FE-Mg Silicates) Mafic Rocks: Rocks rich (>50% by volume) in Mafic minerals
Cooling Rate
Depth
Felisic rocks have lower crystallization
temperature than the mafic/ultramafic
rocks. Growth >
Nucleation

Gabbro Basalt

Plutonic Volcanic

Cooling Rate and Depth ?

Nucleation Vs Growth?
Plutonic and Volcanic?
 Rock Classification
Basis : Color Index Proportions of Mafic (DARK) and felsic (LIGHT) minerals

Mafic MA-Felsic Felsic

(Intermediate)
Basalt Diorite Granite
SiO2
Plutonic Rock
(Intrusives)

Temperature of
crystallization
High Cooling rate
(Extrusives)

Basalt Andesite
Volcanic

Rhyolite
Direction of Higher cooling rate ?
Direction of Higher SiO2
Temperature of crystallization ?
 Classification : Basis SiO2 Content of Rocks
ACID Intermediate Basic Ultrabasic
SiO2 (Wt%) >63 63-<53 53-45 <45

Temp of
crystallization
and SiO2 content
Of minerals

Crystallization
Temp of
K-feldspar has less
Rocks
SiO2 (~65 wt%)
than quartz
(~100%

Plagioclase (x NaAlSi3O8)+ y CaAl2Si2O8 x+y= 1

Sodic Plag (x>y), Calcic plagioclase (x<y)
 Classification of Rocks (Basis : Q-A-P proportions)
International Union of Geological Sciences(IUGS) Classification of Rocks

Q= Quartz
A= K-Feldspar
(alkali feldspar)
P= Plagioclase

Anorthosite (>70% Plagioclase, No

F= Feldspathoid (Foid) quartz)
(SiO2 lower than albite or
K-Feldspar
Difference between granite and granodiorite AND GRANITE
AND GABBRO?
Which one should have higher crystallization temperature?
Which one will appear pink?