It is composed primarily of hornblende (amphibole) and plagioclase, usually with very little quartz. The specimen shown above is about two inches (five centimeters) across. ADVERTISEMENT What are Metamorphic Rocks? Metamorphic rocks have been modified by heat, pressure, and chemical processes, ...
The best way to learn about rocks is to have specimens available for testing and examination. Color: Marble is usually a light-colored rock. When it is formed from a limestone with very few impurities, it will be white in color. Marble that contains impurities such as clay minerals, iron ...
Like other metamorphic rocks, marble has no fossils and any layering that appears in it probably does not correspond to the original bedding of the precursor limestone. Like limestone, marble tends to dissolve in acidic fluids. It is quite durable in dry climates, as in the Mediterranean countri...
The Rock Gallery contains pictures and descriptions of common igneous metamorphic sedimentary rock. The igneous rocks are listed at the top of the page followed by metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.
It can be difficult to pick up a rock and apply the proper name where the rocks have been lightly metamorphosed. ADVERTISEMENT In the coal mining industry of the Appalachian Basin, the word "slate" is still used by many miners in reference to the shale that forms the roof and floor of ...