QUESTION AND DISCUSSIONS 1a

Briefly describe and explain two classifications of minerals for each type
1. Quartz
-Most common of silica group minerals. Found in nearly every geological environment.
-Stable both physically and chemically. Difficult mineral to alter or breakdown
2. Feldspar Group
-Most important group, abundant and constitute the most rock forming minerals.
-Make up to 60% of the earths crust. Found almost on all the igneous rock, in some
sedimentary and many metamorphic rocks
3. Mica
-A group of monoclinic minerals and are characterized by perfect cleavage
-Typically paper thin, shiny, elastic cleavage plates
4. Pyroxene Group
-High temperature minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks
-Dark coloured ( dark green to black ) and contains silicates of iron and magnesium
5. Olivine
-Crystallizes at a high temperature, over 1000C, one of the first minerals to form from basic
magmas, and common in basalt
-The only mineral clearly visible in the hand specimen
6. Amphiboles
-Colour ranges from green to black
-This mineral has much in common with pyroxenes and consists of complex silicates which
are magnesium , calcium and iron
7. Calcite
-Dissolved in groundwater and reprecitated as new crystals in caves and fractures in rock
-Can be precipitated directly from seawater and removed from it by organisms to make shell

8. Dolomite
-Composed of magnesium and carbonate (CO2)
-Widespread I sedimentary rocks, forming when calcite reacts with solutions of magnesium
carbonate in seawater or groundwater
9. Clay minerals
-Constitute major part of the soil and thus encountered more frequently than other minerals
-Form when air and water interact with the various silicate minerals breaking them to form
clay and other products.
10. Halite and Gypsum
-Two most common minerals formed by the evaporation of seawater or saline lake water.
-Halite easily identified by its taste, very soft and scratched easily with finger nail. Gypsum
composed of calcium sulphate and water
11. Chlorite
-A green flaky minerals formed by hydrous silicates of magnesium and aluminium
-Found in igneous rocks and in metamorphic rocks such as chlorite-schist and in some clays
12. Serpentine
-An alteration of olivine, pyroxene or hornblende
-Change from olivine to serpentine may be brought about by action of water and silica
13. Talc
-Soft flaky mineral, white or greenish white, easily scratched by finger nails
-Occurs as a secondary product in basic and ultrabasic rocks and in talc-schist
14. Kaolin
-Derived from breakdown of feldspar by action of water and carbon dioxide
-White or grey, soft with texture of flour and clayey smell when damp

7.0 Question and Discussion (topic lab 1b)

1. Explain briefly two (2) types of igneous rock

a. Intrusive igneous rocks crystallize below Earth's surface and the slow cooling that occurs there
allows large crystals to form. Examples of intrusive igneous rocks are diorite, gabbro, granite,
pegmatite, and peridotite.
b. Extrusive igneous rocks erupt onto the surface where they cool quickly to form small crystals.
Some cool so quickly that they form an amorphous glass. These rocks include andesite, basalt,
obsidian, pumice, rhyolite, scoria, and tuff.

2. Explain the igneous rock classification according to the texture and chemical and mineral
composition.

Figure 1 shows types and texture of igneous rocks

Classification of igneous rock.

TEXTURE
Aphanitic Rock

EXPLAINATION
Aphanitic rock is igneous rock in which the grain or crystalline structure is too
fine to be seen by the unaided eye. Such rock is formed when the material
solidifies at or near the surface so that the cooling is rather rapid. Such rocks are
termed "extrusive" rocks. Under these conditions, there is not enough time for
the growth of large crystals. Basalt from surface lava flow often exhibits an
aphanitic texture. Since the crystals of individual minerals cannot be easily
resolved for classification, aphanitic rocks are classified in general terms like

Phaneritic Rock

light, intermediate or dark in colour.

Phaneritic rock is igneous rock with large, identifiable crystals of roughly equal
size. Such crystals are characteristic of rocks which solidified far below the
surface so that the cooling was slow enough to enable the large crystals to grow.
Such rocks are termed "intrusive" rocks. When such rocks are found on the
surface, this can be taken to imply that the overlying material has been removed

Porphyritic Rock

by erosion.
Porphyritic rock is igneous rock which is characterized by large crystals
surrounded by a background of material with very small crystals. The scenario
for the production of such rocks involves the formation of certain types of
mineral crystals over a long period deep in the earth. Because of differences in
melting temperatures and growth rates, the surrounding material may not have
appreciably crystallized. If this material is suddenly ejected from the surface, as
in a volcano, then the surrounding material will solidify rapidly to form small
crystals in the spaces between the large ones. In such rocks the large crystals are
called phenocrysts while the surrounding material is called groundmass. The

Glassy Rock

entire collection of material is called porphyry.

When molten rock is suddenly ejected from a volcano, it may be cooled so
rapidly that organized crystal formation cannot occur. This results in igneous
rock which has no internal structure. It has a glassy appearance and produces no
planes or crystal symmetry when broken. Obsidian is a common natural glass

Pyroclastic Rock

occuring in lava flows.

Sometimes material is violently ejected from volcanoes and then reassembled
into igneous rocks from this material. The material may range from fine dust or
fine hair-like strands to large molten blobs. The consolidation of such material

Vescular Texture

into rocks produces what is called the pyroclastic texture.

This term refers (holes, pores, or cavity) within the igneous rock.
Vesicles are the result of gas expansion (bubbles), which often occurs during
volcanic eruption. Pumice and scoria are common types of vesicular rocks. The
image below shows basalt with vesicles, hence the name Vescilar Basalt

Chemical and mineral mineralogical composition.

1. Acid : Usually above 63% silica mostly feldspar minerals and quatz, for example granite.
2. Basic : Usually 45 to 55% silica mostly dark minerals plus plagioclase feldspar and or
feldspathoid minerals, for examples basalt
3. Ultra basic : Usually less than 45% silica mostly dark minerals such as olivine and pyroxene,
for example peridotite.