• Question: Can you guess what a rock is without the computer?

    Asked by darkmatterkid to Angus, Christian, Hannah, Laura, Simon on 18 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Simon Holyoake

      Simon Holyoake answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      I’m afraid not, I don’t have the training and experience in identifying rocks! I could probably tell if it was sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic but that would be it!

    • Photo: Hannah Bentham

      Hannah Bentham answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      Trained geologists can but I don’t do so much of this anymore.

      You use hand lenses to get close to the rock to look at the crystals. They also used to tell us to taste the rock! Also, you use a geological map to help guide you what rocks are likely to be in the area.

    • Photo: Christian Maerz

      Christian Maerz answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      In most cases, yes. It really helps to have a hand lense, and a hammer to get a fresh surface of the rock – otherwise, the outside is often weathered. Some rocks are difficult though, especially if they are fine-grained and you cannot identify any of the minerals.

    • Photo: Laura Roberts Artal

      Laura Roberts Artal answered on 19 Jun 2013:

      I think most geologist could have a good guess! I’d certainly expect them to be able to tell you if it was a sedimantary, an igenous or a metamosphic rock. Not only the minerals that are in the rock help you identify it, the textures and relationships with other rocks near by might also give you clues! It isn’t always possible to decide what the rock is though, so you might need a little help from computers or microscopes!

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