Rocks

Formed from large amounts of sand removed from earth by wind and rivers.

A slow cooling Igneous Rock

The particles are compressed and cemented together

Has very tiny crystals

Its pure form is white but other colours include red, green and black.

Colour

Found at Rathlind Island (white), Connemara (green) and Cork (red)

Hardness

An extremely hard rock, it caps many mountains such as Croagh Patrick in Mayo and the Sugar Loaf in Wicklow

Metal Ores: Iron, copper, lead and zinc

Fossils can be found from the remains of some skeletons

Building material: stone and sand

Its colour is usually brown to red

This rock type is found in the Wicklow and Mourne Mountains.

It is a permeable rock

A fast cooling Igneous Rock

Large crystals form

Energy source: uranium, coal, oil and gas

Formed on the beds of shallow seas from skeletons of fish and shells.

Can be easily cut and polished and used for filreplaces and gravestones

A metamorphic rock formed under contact from Magma

Consists mainly of tightly packed grains of quartz

Texture (how they feel)

The mountain's of Munster such as Magillycuddy's Reeks are made of this.

Igneous

Mineral Content

Metamorphic

Usually formed under periods of folding

Precious Metals and Stones: gold, silver and diamonds

Sedimentary

Layers of sand were compressed and cemented to form this rock

A famous example is found at the Giant's Causeway

A metamorphic rock formed under heat and pressure from Limestone