Rock Picture Gallery

IGNEOUS ROCK PICTURES (About Igneous Rocks)

Aa—A rugged form of basalt lava.
Andesite—The typical intermediate arc lava.
Basalt—A bubbly, crystally chunk of this igneous rock from Kilauea.
Diorite—A plutonic igneous rock between granite and gabbro.
Felsite—The volcanic version of granite.
Gabbro—The crystallized, plutonic version of basalt.
Granite—The stone that makes up the bulk of the continents.
Granodiorite—Almost diorite, except it has quartz.
Gypsum Rock—A crusty chunk from a Nevada roadside.
Lapilli Tuff—A volcanic stone formed of little ash balls.
Obsidian—Hand specimen of this useful volcanic glass.
Pahoehoe—Smooth-skinned lava smothers an old Hawaiian footpath.
Pegmatite—The igneous rocks with the biggest crystals.
Porphyry—An igneous rock with large mineral grains in a fine matrix.
Pumice—An example of this widely variable volcanic product.
Pyroxenite—An uncommon ultramafic rock from the deep seafloor.
Rhyolite—The highest-silica type of lava.
Scoria—A frothy volcanic product similar to pumice.
Syenite—A plutonic, alkalic "granite-without-quartz."
Tuff—This rock made of volcanic ash can be anything but tough.

Special Galleries: Pillow Lavas, Extrusive Igneous Rocks, Granites

SEDIMENTARY ROCK PICTURES (About Sedimentary Rocks)

Agate—A semiprecious chert of infinite variety.
Alabaster—A polished slab of this beautiful stone.
Arkose—A raw sandstone derived from granite breakdown.
Asphalt—Specimen from a natural oil seep.
Banded Iron Formation—Usually dull, it also forms dazzling "tiger iron."
Breccia—Rock made of broken rocks, breccia appears in many forms.
Chert—A common rock type, shown in several of its guises.
Coal—Introducing this hugely important resource.
Conglomerate—Rocks composed of stone-sized grains.
Coquina—Limestone composed of shell fragments.
Dolomite—Limestone's close cousin.
Graywacke—An impure sandstone also called wacke.
Limestone—A roadcut displays some of this common rock type's variety.
Peat—Brown, vegetative precursor to coal.
Sandstone—A common sedimentary (and landscaping) rock.
Shale—A piece from southeastern New York.
Siltstone—A sedimentary rock much finer than sandstone.
Travertine—A form of limestone made in springs.

Special Galleries: Sedimentary Rocks, Limestones, Coquina

METAMORPHIC ROCK PICTURES (About Metamorphic Rocks)

Amphibolite—Typically a hornblende schist.
Blueschist—A distinctive metamorphic rock (and a great swear word).
Eclogite—The most extreme metamorphic rock you can find.
Gneiss—The hard-core metamorphic rock makes up a desert boulder.
Greenschist—A low-grade metamorphic rock from northern California.
Greenstone—Metamorphosed seafloor yields this tough, dark rock.
Marble—When limestone becomes a metamorphic rock.
Migmatite—The product of extreme metamorphism.
Phyllite—Shiny, crinkled rock made from slate at high heat and pressure.
Quartzite—A boulder of this rugged stone, which comes in two types.
Schist—This metamorphic rock type occurs in tremendous variety.
Serpentinite—The state rock of California, a museum-quality boulder of it.
Slate—Slate looks a lot like shale, but it's a metamorphic rock.

Special Galleries: Metamorphic Rocks, Serpentinites

OTHER ROCKS

Chondrite Meteorite—The commonest type of space stone.
Fulgurite—Lightning striking sand makes this curious object.
Geodes—These rock-shop lumps promise glittering wealth within.
Iron Meteorite—A hand specimen from the Sikhote-Alin fall.
Nakhlite (Mars Meteorite)—A piece of the Nakhla, Egypt, fall of 1911.
Shergottite (Mars Meteorite)—A piece of Martian mantle sits in the dirt.
Tektite—A real meteorite from Earth (at least that's one theory).
Thunder Egg—This solid, silica-filled lump is the state stone of Oregon.

Special Galleries: Geodes, Meteorites, Fulgurites, Artificial Rocks

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Other picture galleries:
Fossil Pictures
Glaciers and Ice Pictures
Landform Pictures
Mineral Pictures
Geologic Features and Processes Pictures
Geology and Society Pictures
Free Geologic Wallpaper Pictures