Igneous Rock

Identification Flow Chart

TEXTURE COLOR SPECIAL FEATURES ROCK NAME

Looks like glass OBSIDIAN

Dark Gray, Green, Looks like glass with patches of white, SNOWFLAKE
Black circular needle-like crystals OBSIDIAN

Heavy BASALT

No Crystals or Can be yellow/orange; may be medium

CARBONATITE
Fine Grained grained

Light weight, lots of tiny holes, floats PUMICE

Light Gray, Pink,

Red, Yellow, Tan

Light weight, lots of tiny holes, sinks SCORIA

Mostly fine grained, a few larger crystals

RHYOLITE
may be seen

Gray, Green, Brown, Larger grains are all about the same
TRACHYTE
White & some Black size
Igneous Rock to Identify

Two Grains sizes /

Light to dark gray,
Larger crystals Larger grains are all about the same
brown to black, ANDESITE
surrounded by fine size
reddish pink or green
grains

Larger grains can be different sizes and

Gray-Green VOLCANIC BRECCIA
have sharp points

Smaller grains than other dark rocks.

PERIDOTITE
Usually solid black to dark green.

All or mostly Dark Contains mostly (more than half) dark

GABBRO
Gray, Black, Green crystals and only a few light crystals

Has about half dark crystals and half

DIORITE
light crystals (looks more dark)

Lots of quartz in rock (samples in Mini

GRANITE
Me kits are often Red)
Light or Dark Gray,
Medium to Coarse
White, Red, Yellow,
Grained
& some black
Little quartz in rock MONZONITE

Has smaller grains than other light

SYENITE
colored rocks. Some black minerals.

White, Light Gray,

Pink, Violet, some Easy to see medium grains ANORTHOSITE
black

Very large, rounded, crystals of different

PEGMATITE
types of minerals

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