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DEPWS DrillCuttingsDescription

The document outlines essential equipment and methods for identifying and classifying rock types, including sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic, weathering, and hydrothermal rocks. It emphasizes the importance of color, mineralogy, texture, and hardness in rock description, and provides examples of common rocks encountered. Additionally, it includes modifier terms for describing rocks with significant mineral content or textures.

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James Kiptoo
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6 views4 pages

DEPWS DrillCuttingsDescription

The document outlines essential equipment and methods for identifying and classifying rock types, including sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic, weathering, and hydrothermal rocks. It emphasizes the importance of color, mineralogy, texture, and hardness in rock description, and provides examples of common rocks encountered. Additionally, it includes modifier terms for describing rocks with significant mineral content or textures.

Uploaded by

James Kiptoo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Equipment

Waterproof notebook, kitchen sieve, buckets, hand lens X10 magnification, dropper bottle of 10%
HCl, porcelain spot tray, ceramic streak plate, grain size card, magnet, Munsell colour chart, texta
pens, white paint pens

Rock Type
Decide which main type:

Sedimentary: Mostly deposited/formed in water (or wind born)

eg.claystone, mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, dolostone, chert

Igneous: Formed from magma

Eg. basalt, rhyolite, dolorite, granite

Metamorphic: Formed by the alteration of sedimentary or igneous rocks due to the effects of heat
and or pressure.

Eg. slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss

Weathering: weathering product of existing rocks.

Eg. laterite, calcrete,

Hydrothermal: Formed from hot mineralised fluids penetrating rocks.

Eg. quartz veins, many mineral ores

Description
Modifier terms

Use if there is a significant amount of another mineral or if there is a characteristic texture.

Eg. clayey sandstone, micaceous siltstone, sandy limestone, vesicular basalt.


Colour

When determining the color of a sample, inspect the sample when wet, as it will reveal colors more
vividly. Dried cuttings can be viewed to allow a better discrimination of subtle hues, color shades and
structures. Note in your description if logged wet or dry. Use Munsell colour chart or app.

Minerology

Main and secondary minerals present

Texture

Grains: size, and shape, grains/matrix proportion, porosity, pore fill, cement, bedding/layering,
Groundwater related features: solution cavities, secondary cavity fills, iron staining on fractures.

Drill chip shape

Hardness

Unconsolidated Loose

Soft

Firm Competent but can be broken by hand

Hard Needs a hammer

Very hard Needs a big hammer


Common encountered rocks

basalt

calcrete

chert

clay

claystone

conglomerate

dolorite

dolostone

gabbro

gneiss

granite

laterite

limestone

mudstone

pegmatite

phyllite

rhyolite

sand

sandstone

schist

shale

silt

siltstone

slate

vein quartz

quartzite
graywacke

arkose

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