My name is Hunter Knapp, and I just LOVE rocks! You could say that they rule! (Get it?) I love rocks so much, I compiled a list of my top five favorite types of rock (but it was hard to just pick five.) Let us now begin the countdown!
NUMBER 5: KAOLIN
This milky white silicate may be difficult to distinguish from other clays – but not to ME! I know too much about rocks to be confused by simple kaolin. This wonderful stuff has an astounding hardness of 2-2.5, but it can be hard to measure because it just breaks up when tested. This wonderful rock is found dispersed in riverbeds all over the US, but more so in the north.
NUMBER 4: SPHENE
Sphene is a lovely green to brown gem (I know, I know, it’s not quite a rock, but it is just too awesome NOT to share) that is most often found in metamorphic rocks like marbles, schists, and gneisses. This lovely little stone is mined in Russia or its titanium, but the little rascals are just too rare elsewhere to do that. How sad. ☹
NUMBER 3: FELSITE
Extrusive igneous rocks are simply great. In no other rock is this shown as well as felsite. The name alone sends shivers down my back. Felsite is actually a fairly vague term, but that just means more rocks can be classified as it! Yay! The main defining feature is its creamy color and super fine grain – so fine not even a lens can see them (but I once did – it was a life changing experience.) It sometimes even contains quartz, how fun!
NUMBER 4: BRECCIA
This gorgeous sedimentary beauty is often confused with conglomerate – by ignorant fools! As a respectable rock lover, I of course know the DIFFERENCE. Whereas conglomerate is formed from round and waterworn pebbles (which is so last fall,) breccia is made from rougher stones and pebbles, and is often created underground. I’d like to see conglomerate do THAT.
NUMBER 5: GABBRO
What can I say? I’m sure you all expected this to be my number one FAVORITE rock, even if you don’t know much about rocks. There is a reason this is such a household name, a reason this is the rockstar of the geological world. But you already know all that, the story, the life of gabbro. While it may be a bit cliche to say gabbro is my favorite rock, it’s the truth. Gabbro is just too gosh darn tootin cool! Did you know it can even contain olivine! So amazing!