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Rocks: Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary


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racetrack playa
Sliding Rocks - Racetrack Playa How these rocks slide across a dry lake bed is a mystery. Photo © iStockphoto / Stephan Hoerold
coal through a microscope
Coal Through a Microscope: Coal is more than a black rock. It's THE most interesting rock.
rock tumblers
Rock Tumblers: Step-by-step guide to tumble-polishing rocks into gemstones.
granite
Uses of Granite: The rock used everywhere from the kitchen to the facing stone of skyscrapers.
Opal photo gallery
Opal Pictues and Descriptions: A colorful photo gallery showing different types of opal.
Sand grains through a microscope
"A Grain of Sand": A gallery of sand grains photographed through a microscope by Dr. Gary Greenberg.
forensic geology
Forensic Geology: "My students come to class thinking that dirt is dirt and sand is sand...".
Sliding Rocks
NASA at Racetrack Playa: Visit Racetrack Playa to solve the mystery of the sliding rocks.
yosemite rockfall
Spectacular Yosemite Rockfall: A photo sequence of rockfall and debris avalanche by Herb Dunn.
rock tumbling instructions
Rock Tumbler Instructions: A set of step-by-step tumbling instructions.
If it is not grown, it is mined.



Igneous
diorite Igneous Rocks: Photos and facts about intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks.
Andesite
Andesite
  Basalt
Basalt

Quartz Diorite
Diorite
  Gabbro
Gabbro

Granite
Granite
  Obsidian
Obsidian

Pegmatite
Pegmatite
  Peridotite
Peridotite

Pumice
Pumice
  Rhyolite
Rhyolite

Scoria
Scoria
  Welded Tuff
Tuff

petroglyphs
Petroglyphs and Pictographs A world-wide collection of rock art. © iStockphoto / Kevin Lange.
Carbonatite lava flows
Carbonatite Lava Flows at Oldoinyo Lengai: These CO2-rich lavas flow like motor oil.
Tell Zeidan
Tell Zeidan: Excavation in Syria reveals an obsidian trade and copper metallurgy at 4000 BC.
Tell Zeidan
Difficult Rocks: Elementary students find lots of rocks that you will not be able to identify.
Obsidian artifacts
Obsidian Secrets: Rock characteristics reveal Native American travel routes.
mineral specimens
Mineral Show Photos: From the 2010 Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show.
Oil is found first in the mind.
Metamorphic
gneiss
Metamorphic Rocks: Photos and facts about foliated and non-foliated metamorphic rocks.
Amphibolite
Amphibolite
  Gneiss
Gneiss

Hornfels
Hornfels
  Marble
Marble

Novaculite
Novaculite
  Phyllite
Phyllite

Quartzite
Quartzite
  Muscovite Schist
Schist

Slate
Slate
  Soapstone
Soapstone

novaculite
Novaculite: Famous for making stone tools, weapons and sharpening stones.
soapstone
Soapstone is a talc-rich rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.
Rock Kits
Rock Kit
Rock Kits: Get a collection of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks.
Water ice
Where Rocks are Made of Ice: Rocks on Saturn's moon Titan are likely made of water ice.
Mars Mystery Rock
Mars Mystery Rock: What are these coatings on rocks at a young crater?
The present is the key to the past.
Sedimentary
conglomerate
Sedimentary Rocks: Photos and facts about clastic, chemical and organic sedimentary rocks.
Breccia
Breccia
  Chert
Chert

Anthracite Coal
Coal
  Conglomerate
Conglomerate

Flint
flint
  Hematite Iron Ore
Iron Ore

Limestone
Limestone
  Oil shale
Oil Shale

Halite Rock Salt
Rock Salt
  Sandstone
Sandstone

Shale
Shale
  Siltstone
Siltstone

flint
Flint is a rock that has been made into tools and weapons for over two million years.
shale
Shale: The rock that is quickly transforming the energy industry by yielding natural gas.
oil sands
Oil Sands contain oil in the form of bitumen. A major oil resource that can be difficult to produce.
limestone
Limestone: A versatile rock used in cement, food, paint, paper, drugs, concrete & more!
Banded Iron Formations
Banded Iron Formations: A new model is proposed for the origin of BIFs.
Marcellus Shale
Marcellus Shale: The most overlooked resource in the eastern United States!
Great Bahama Bank
Great Bahama Bank: A spectacular image of the Bank, islands and surrounding ocean.
Geology underlies it all.

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