Part 1: Step by Step Identifying Five different rocks or minerals

Rico, Tommy Geology 1 Co1 Physical Geology

Speci

men

# 1

SLATE

Slate is a fine grained rock in the metamorphic rock family. I used a couple easy steps to discover that this rock was slate. It was found on the shore of Santa Monica Beach .

Slate rocks are smooth in texture so after running my hand over the rock I began to think that was a possibility.

Then the color came into play seeing as slate can range from light to deep grey. It can also be other colors but this rock fell under the deep grey.

Speci

men

# 2

Pumice

The color of pumice is said to range from an off white to a greenish color. Check on identifying the rock by color.

Along with the color being related to pumice this rock was light weight and fairly hard. With those two things it was also fairly sharp though the picture does not do this rock justice.

The only thing missing was the holes that are said to be seen in pumice. But all other signs lead to this way of thinking.

Geological BackgroundA couple of these rocks the main one being slate was found on the beach of Santa Monica California. Santa Monica has an intensely rich background the mountain range was formed through the interactions between the Northern and Pacific plate however the main plate running though that area is the Malibu Coastal fault.

Speci

men

# 3

Sandstone

Sandstone has fairly fine grains running throughout. The color can range from a tan to pink color. This rock held both in its surface color.

This particular piece of sandstone was found in the hills surrounding Pyramid Lake in California.

On an eHow website it stated that the rock was formed by grains of sand being compacted together which led to its grainy texture and that it was found in terrestrial or earthen areas both of these fall into where this rock was found.

Speci

men

# 4

Sandstone

To identify this rock I decided to use a website that asked several different questions regarding the rock. There were questions like if it had crystal grains or if it has layers.

These questions one after another led to the conclusion that it was sandstone. Not only that but the texture and origin of the rock led to that same conclusion.

Geological Background

Pyramid lake is made of Pyramid Dam on Piru creek near Castaic. The name came from the pyramid rock formation that was created when a ridge was cut through to create an alternate route. This lake is the deepest out of all of the California Reservoir projects.

Speci

men

# 5

Sandstone

This rock was the easiest to discern. From the beginning the texture and color gave it away along with the area it was found in. This rock had a grainy texture though it also felt smooth.

The color ranged from a light pinkish color along the edges to a deep tan in other places.

with that after taking a survey of the features seen in this rock from layers to the grain size it came out sandstone every time.