Rocks and Minerals in Geotechnical Engineering - Essay Example

Crushed basalt is commonly used as aggregate in highway construction and railroad ballast. Basalt can also be found in asphalt. It is also used as floor tiles and stone monuments.  Evidence of basalt on Mars is also noted as well as basaltic rocks on the moon. Basalt's appearance is uniform but can be viewed under an electron microscope to reveal its component silicate mineral.

Dolerite Dolerite is a type of basaltic rock. It is a fine-grained igneous rock commonly called diabase. Dolerite is a medium-grained igneous rock commonly found in dikes and sills. It is composed mainly of plagioclase crystals, feldspar, and clinopyroxene with augite and ilmenite as minor minerals.  Unlike the common basalt, dolerite crystals can be viewed under a hand lens.  This is an indication that dolerite was cooled more slowly than basalt. Dolerite is noted for its resistance to weathering and therefore most commonly used to build roads and monumental stones.  The Tasmanian peninsula in Tasmania, Australia has the world’s largest areas of dolerite.

Copper Mineral Ore Most of the copper ore minerals are created by weathering and are mined as mineral chalcopyrite (CuFeS2). Chalcopyrite is the most abundant mineral ore of copper.  When chalcopyrite is extracted for copper, it contains 34.5% by mass copper. Other copper mineral ores can be chalcocite Cu2S, covellite (CuS), bornite (2Cu2S*CuS*FeS), malachite (CuCO3•Cu(OH)2), and cuprite (Cu2O).  Copper mineral ores are mined for copper. Vast mountain areas are quarried for chalcopyrite, malachite, and cuprite.

Conglomerate The conglomerate is a large chunk of rock that has different minerals or rock types embedded in it.  This is a type of sedimentary rock that is commonly found I beaches, rivers, and glaciers.  Pebbles and small rocks are the major components of a conglomerate rock. Quartz is the most common mineral of pebbles so is a conglomerate. Iron oxide, calcium carbonate, and silica are also tied together with all the components.  Conglomerates don’t have much industrial use, instead, it is used as decoration. Conglomerates are mines in, Australia, the United States, and Ireland.    Sandstone Sandstone or arenite is a type of sedimentary rock that has minerals in small fine grains of sand or rocks. Sandstones are composed mainly of quartz and feldspar as they are the largest occurring mineral in the Earth’s crust.  Sandstone varies in its color and texture, but most common are fine and grainy with colors of brown, white, grey, and pink.  Sandstones have been used in building houses since ancient times.  It is relatively soft and easy to carve. It is extensively used in constructing temples, churches, houses, and other structures. Many types of sandstone are resistant to weathering and thus chiefly used as a building material.   Read More