| What Type of Rock is It? | ||||
Look at the overall appearance of the stone in the building. Observe the color, texture, and structure of the stone. | ||||
| Does the stone look evenly colored, with an even texture? | ||||
|
Yes
|
No
| |||
| Look at the grains up close. Do you see fossil fragments (bits of shells or skeletons)? | Do you see streaks or clouds of color in a mostly white stone? | |||
 |
|
 |
|
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Are the grains rounded like sand on the beach?
|
|
|
Look at the grains up close. Do you see a mixture of colors (black, white, gray, maybe pink or red)?
|
|
Yes | No | |
No Yes |
|
|
|
 | |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
| Limestone | Sandstone | Marble | Granite | |
| Some of these stones may have layers that were the original beds that formed the stones. | The grains in these rocks may look like crystals that fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces. | |||
This page is
URL:https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/acidrain/type.html
Maintained by John Watson
Last modified 07.21.97