Rock Types

Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks are formed from pre-existing rocks that have undergone weathering (the breakdown of rock into smaller fragments caused by physical and chemical events) and transportation (moved from one location to another by wind, water, animals, etc.). Sedimentary rocks can further be categorized into three main groups based on which processes formed the rock:

• Clastic sedimentary rocks: These result from the lithification of unconsolidated (loose) sediment. Sediment can be many different sizes, including small grains of clay and sand, up to large pebbles or cobbles. Lithification is a process that involves compaction of the sediment layers and cementation. Cementation is when water-soluble minerals fill the cracks between each individual sediment grain, gluing them all together to form a solid rock. Some examples include sandstone, conglomerate, or shale. 
• Chemical sedimentary rocks: These rocks form when a solution is supersaturated in elements that are constituents for minerals. Given the appropriate physical conditions, minerals precipitate out of the solution and form solid rocks. Some examples include limestone, banded iron formation, or rock salt.
• Biochemical/organic sedimentary rocks: These rocks form from the accumulation of organic debris, including remains from plants or animals. Biochemical sedimentary rocks are different from chemical sedimentary rocks because living organisms play a major role in turning the chemical constituents into solid rock. Some examples include coal, fossilized coral, or coquina.

Picture	Rock Number	Rock Name	Process of Formation
	1	Jasper conglomerate	Clastic
	4	Gordon Lake cherty siltstone	Clastic
	5	Gowganda conglomerate	Clastic
	6	Matinenda conglomerate	Clastic
	7	Keweenawan conglomerate	Clastic
	9	Jacobsville sandstone	Clastic
	20	Banded iron formation (magnetite)	Chemical
	21-22	Siderite	Chemical
	24	Amabel dolostone	Chemical
	25	Lockport dolostone	Chemical
	26-27	Dolostone with calcite	Chemical
	28	Laminated Ermosa dolostone	Chemical
	29-31	Potsdam sandstone	Clastic
	35	Columbus limestone	Chemical
	38	Fossil coral colony favosites	Organic
	39	Calcite concretions	Chemical
	49	Stromatolite marble	Organic
	50	Stromatolite fossils	Organic
	51	Amethyst quartz Breccia	Clastic
	55	Frank slide boulder	Chemical
	63	Tyndall stone	Chemical
	68	Anthracite coal	Organic
	70	Shear-hosted gold lode in breccia	Clastic
	77	Wallace sandstone	Clastic
	78	Redbeds sandstone	Clastic

Igneous Rocks

Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling and crystallization of hot, molten, liquid rock. If the liquid rock is above Earth's surface, it is called lava and cools to form extrusive igneous rocks. If the liquid rock is below Earth's surface, it is called magma and cools to form intrusive igneous rocks.

Picture	Rock Number	Rock Name	Rock Formation
	8	Keweenawan basalt	Extrusive
	14	Carbonated basalt with quartz veins	Extrusive
	16	Larvikite	Intrusive
	17	Altered pyroxenite with aphyric syenite dikes	Intrusive
	18	Matachewan Porphyry or Granite DC	Intrusive
	37	Anorthosite	Intrusive
	41	Sodalite syenite	Intrusive
	43	Nepheline syenite	Intrusive
	46	Rose Quartz	Intrusive
	47	Chalcopyrite	Intrusive
	54	Granite	Intrusive
	56	Labradorite	Intrusive
	57	Columnar dacite showing flow banding	Extrusive
	58	Columnar basalt with periodite xenoliths	Extrusive
	61	Lepidolite	Intrusive
	64	Porphyritic biotite granite	Intrusive
	67	Peridotite surrounded by an alteration zone of serpentinite	Intrusive
	69	Garnet-rich gabbroic anorthosite	Intrusive
	72	St.Georges red granite	Intrusive
	74	Serpentinized mantle peridotite	Intrusive
	75	North Mountain basalt columns	Extrusive

Metamorphic Rocks 

Metamorphic rocks form by transforming a pre-existing rock, called a protolith (proto- means first, and -lith means rock), by adding heat and pressure to it. When the protolith experiences high temperatures and pressures, the minerals that made up the protolith undergo physical and chemical changes, which create completely new minerals. These new minerals that form will eventually cool and create a completely new rock. Think of it like a caterpillar entering its cocoon, and after some time, it emerges as a butterfly!

Depending on where metamorphism is occurring, the rocks experience different levels of heat and pressure, described as the metamorphic grade. The rocks can be low, medium, or high-grade metamorphic rocks. The higher the metamorphic grade, the higher the temperature and amount of pressure the rocks were exposed to!

Metamorphic rocks can also be described based on the internal structures of the rock. In some cases, as the rock experiences pressure, the minerals that make up the rock get squashed and can be re-oriented within the rock. This can make the minerals align in the same direction and form "bands" or "stripes" of minerals, and it is called a foliated metamorphic rock. In other cases, the minerals that make up the rock do not experience the same amounts of pressure, and the minerals do not get squashed. In this case, "bands" or "stripes" are not present in the rock, and the rock is called a non-foliated metamorphic rock.

Picture	Rock Number	Rock Name	Metamorphic Grade	Foliation
	2	Lorrain quartzite	Medium to high grade	Non-foliated
	3	Green Lorrain quartzite	Medium to high grade	Non-foliated
	10	Gneiss	High grade	Foliated
	11	Granite gneiss boulder	High grade	Foliated
	12	Muscovite-rich quartzite	Medium to high grade	Non-foliated
	13	Quartz Carbonate Fuchsite Serpentinite	Medium grade	Non-foliatetd
	15	Carbonated Mafic and Felsic Igneous Rocks with Green chrome Mica Quartz veins and Pyrite	Low to medium grade	Non-foliated
	32	Glacial striae (scratches) on Lorrain quartzite	Medium to high grade	Non-foliated
	33	Calcite garnet pyrite pyroxene skarn	Low grade	Non-foliated
	34	Magnetite skarn	Low grade	Non-foliated
	36	Epidote garnet skarn	Low grade	Non-foliated
	40	Shatter cone shock structures Sudbury Impact Crater (astrobleme)	Very high grade (specifically, impact metamorphism)	Non-foliated
	42	Flake graphite in gneiss	High grade	Foliated
	44	Folded marble	Low to high grade	Non-foliated
	45	Serpentine marble	Low to high grade	Non-foliated
	53	Purple (iron-rich) Lorrain quartzite	Medium to high grade	Non-foliated
	59	50th Anniversary Gneiss	High grade	Foliated
	60	Slate	Low grade	Foliated
	62	Metabasalt	Low grade	Non-foliated
	65	Nephrite Jade	High grade	Non-foliated
	66	Serpentinite	Low grade	Foliated
	71	Oldest Rock in the World - tonalitic gneiss	High grade	Foliated

Ores

Ore is a type of rock that is made of a combination of minerals that contain metals or elements that are important for making materials used in our everyday lives. Ore is the raw product that is extracted from mining operations. It is then processed to separate the valuable minerals from the invaluable minerals, which are then sold to make a profit. 

Picture	Rock Number	Rock Name
	19	Gold ore
	23	Cobalt-Nickle Vein
	48	Nickle-copper ore
	73	Sediment-hosted zinc-lead ore
	79	Lead-zinc ore
	80	Massive sulphide ore

Fossils

Fossils are the preserved remains, or traces of remains, of ancient species. Fossils are not the remains of the organism itself, but are rocks!