Igneous

Andesite Andesite is a fine-grained, extrusive igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase with other minerals such as hornblende, pyroxene and biotite.

Diorite
Diorite is a coarse-grained, intrusive igneous rock that is intermediate in composition between granite and gabbro. Its composition is very similar to the finegrained extrusive rock known as andesite. Diorite is composed primarily of plagioclase feldspar, amphibole, and pyroxine minerals with small amounts of biotite mica. It typically contains very little quartz. When identifying diorite look for a rock that as abundant white and dark minerals - a salt and pepper appearance. With a hand lens look for the cleavage faces of plagioclase feldspar intersecting at oblique angles. Also, look for vitreous cleavage faces on the dark amphibole minerals.

Basalt
Basalt is a dark-colored, fine-grained, igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals. It most commonly forms as an extrusive rock, such as a lava flow, but can also form in small intrusive bodies, such as an igneous dike or a thin sill. It has a composition similar to gabbro. The difference between basalt and gabbro is that basalt is a fine-grained rock while gabbro is a coarse-grained rock.

Gabbro
Gabbro is a coarse-grained, dark-colored, intrusive igneous rock. It is usually black or dark green in color and composed mainly of the minerals plagioclase and augite. It is the most abundant rock in the deep oceanic crust. Gabbro has a variety of uses in the construcion industry. It is used for everything from crushed stone base materials at construction sites to polished stone counter tops and floor tiles.

Obsidian
Obsidian is an igneous rock that forms when molten rock material cools so rapidly that atoms are unable to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure. The result is a volcanic glass with a smooth uniform texture that breaks with a conchoidal fracture (see photo on right).

Pegmatite
Pegmatites are extreme igneous rocks that form during the final stage of a magmas crystallization. They are extreme because they contain exceptionally large crystals and they sometimes contain minerals that are rarely found in other types of rocks. To be called a pegmatite a rock should be composed almost entirely of crystals that are at least one centimeter in across. The name pegmatite has nothing to do with the mineral composition of the rock.

Granite Granite is a light-colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below Earths surface. Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica, amphiboles and other minerals. This mineral composition usually gives granite a red, pink, gray or white color with dark mineral grains visible throughout the rock.

Peridotite
Peridotite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock that is composed almost entirely of olivine. It may contain small amounts of amphibole, feldspar, quartz or pyroxene.

Pumice Pumice is a light-colored, extremely porous, igneous rock that forms during explosive volcanic eruptions. It is used as aggregate in lightweight concrete, as landscaping aggregate and as an abrasive in a variety of industrial and consumer products. Many specimens have a high enough porosity that they can float on water until they slowly become waterlogged. Many people believe that small pieces of scoria look like the ash produced in a coal furnace. That has resulted in particles of scoria being called "cinders" and the small volcanoes that erupt scoria to be called "cinder cones".

Tuff Tuff is an igneous rock that forms from the products of an explosive volcanic eruption. In these eruptions the volcano blasts rock, ash, magma and other materials from its vent. This ejecta travels through the air and falls back to Earth in the area surrounding the volcano. If the ejected material is compacted and cemented into a rock that rock will be called "tuff". Tuff is usually thickest near the volcanic vent and decreases in thickness with distance from the volcano. Instead of being a "layer" a tuff is usually a "lensshaped" deposit. Tuff can also be thickest on the downwind side of the vent or on the side of the vent where the blast was directed. Some tuff deposits are hundreds of meters thick and have a total eruptive volume of many cubic miles. That enormous thickness can be from a single eruptive blast or more commonly from successive surges of a single eruption - or eruptions that were separated by long periods of time.

Rhyolite Rhyolite is a light-colored, fine-grained, extrusive igneous rock that typically contains quartz and feldspar minerals.

Scoria Scoria is a dark-colored igneous rock with abundant round bubble-like cavities known as vesicles. It ranges in color from black or dark gray to deep reddish brown. Scoria usually has a composition similar to basalt, but can also have a composition similar to andesite.