MINERALS: Naturally occurring compounds with characteristics properties and chemical composition.
Primary minerals form from magma deep within the earth. |
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QUARTZ (primary mineral)
Composition: SiO2 Found in: many rocks, esp. light-color (felsic), sandstones. |
![]() Muscovite ![]() Biotite |
MICAS (primary minerals)
Composition: (Al, Si + O) with K Found in: many igneous and metamorphic rocks. |
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FELDSPARS (primary minerals)
Composition: (Al, Si + O) with K Found in: many igneous and metamorphic rocks. |
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FERROMAGNESIAN MINERALS (primary minerals)
Composition: (Al, Si + O) with Mg, Fe Found in: dark (mafic) igneous rocks. |
![]() Hematite ![]() Goethite |
IRON OXIDES >>HEMATITE, GOETHITE (secondary minerals)
Composition: Fe(O,OH)Found in: sedimentary rocks; saprolite. |
![]() Kaolinite ![]() Vermiculite |
CLAY MINERALS >>KAOLINITE, VERMICULITE (secondary minerals)
Composition: (Al, Si, O) Found in: sedimentary rocks; saprolite. |
ROCKS: Assemblage of minerals; a fixed proportion of various minerals present give characteristic appearance & properties.Igneous rocks form from the cooling of magma. |
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GRANITE (igneous rock)
Composition: Largely quartz, feldspar; some mica. Found in: Intrusive bodies in Piedmont (Stone Mt). |
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BASALT (igneous rock)
Composition: High in ferromagnesian minerals (hornblende, augite). Isolated occurrence in Piedmont (seafloor remnants deposited during orogeny). |
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SCHIST (metamorphic rock)
Composition: Commonly mica, with quartz, feldspar. Formed from metamorphosed sediments; common in Piedmont, Blue Ridge. |
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GNEISS (metamorphic rock)
Composition: Quartz, feldspar, mica. Formed from metamorphosed granites or sandy marine sediments; common in Piedmont, Blue Ridge. |
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LIMESTONE (sedimentary rock)
Composition: Calcite, with mixture of clay minerals. Formed in off-shore marine environments; common in Valley & Ridge, parts of Coastal Plain. |
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SANDSTONE (sedimentary rock)
Composition: Quartz with some oxides. Formed in near-shore marine deposits; common in Valley & Ridge, parts of Coastal Plain. |
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SHALE, SILTSTONE (sedimentary rock)
Composition: Clay minerals with accessory minerals (oxides). Formed in near-shore marshes, or in deep-water marine environments; common in Valley & Ridge. |