What Is Petrology? About The Scientific Study Of Rocks

What Is Petrology? About The Scientific Study Of Rocks

PETROLOGY – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the scientific study of rocks known as petrology.

PETROLOGY
Image from: National Park Service

As mentioned, it is a scientific study of rocks which deals with the rocks’ composition, texture, and structure; their occurrence and distribution; and their origin in relation to physicochemical conditions and geologic processes.

It is also concerned with the three types of rocks, namely: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.

It also covers the subdisciplines of experimental petrology and petrography, where the former involves the laboratory synthesis of rocks in order to ascertain the physical and chemical conditions under which rock formation occurs.

Petrography, on the other hand, deals with the study of rocks in thin section by means of a petrographic microscope and is primarily concerned with the systematic classification and precise description of rocks, according to Britannica.

This study heavily relies on the principles and methods of mineralogy since most rocks consist of minerals and are formed under the same conditions. Another essential to this study is the careful mapping and sampling of rock units. These provide data on regional gradations of rock types and on associations unavailable by other methods.

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