CATAGORY DESCRIPTION REMARKS

Gradational lithotypes – only be used if there is a significant amount of qualifying

rock type present.
Consolidation – when soft claystone should be referred to as clay, etc.
Sandstone, siltstone,
ROCK TYPE Contaminants – mud additives, metal shavings and cement,
etc.
Loose sand grains – are they sand grain? Loose sand grain from deeper section may
be sign of overbalance.
Metamorphic/Igneous lithotypes – could be difficult to identify.
Red – Orange (Iron-Ferric-oxidized stated); Light green (Iron-ferrous reduced state);
Bright green (Glauconite, chlorite & chamosite); Blue (Tuffaceous); Dark grey –
Use standard colour
COLOUR brown black – olive black (Carbonaceous materials – anoxic environ, usually
charts
marine); Yellow – ochre (Limonite – hydrated iron oxides and iron hydroxides);
Brown (Oil – check for shows!).
Describe the colour of constituent grains and clasts, but also their transparent,
GRAIN
Mainly applies to sst translucent & opaque nature. Also note surface discolouration of grains or any
COLOUR
coloured inclutions.
Loose (lse) – Grains disaggregate when dry (not for clay/shale rocks)
Friable (fri) – Loose grains can be separated by pressure from the fingers
Adjective to describe Firm (frm) – Grains can be separated with probe
hardness Hard (hrd) – Grains difficult to detach, pressure results in cuttings breaking grains
Very hard (v. hrd) – Individual grains cannot be detached & cuttings break through
grains
Very soft (v. sft) – Can be dispersed by water/drilling mud
Soft (sft) – No shape or strength, easily deformed
HARDNESS
For clay based Sticky (stky) – Sticks to fingers and sample probe
lithologies Plastic (plss) – Easily moulded and retains shape, difficult to wash through sieve
Firm (frm) – Definite shape & struc can be penetrated by probe
Hard (hrd) – Sharp angular edges, not easily broken. Varies to mod hrd to v hrd
Crumbly (crmly) – Easily crushed into constituent parts
Fracture or break of Brittle (brit) – Breaks into small pieces when fractures
cutting Conchoidal (conch) – Curved fracture planes such as those seen in flint
Splintery (splty) – Very hard and splinters into sharp pieces when broken
Amorphous (amor) – no shape
Blocky (blky) – Square, angular appearance
Platy (plty) – Flat appearance with rounded edges
CUTTING General shape of
Subfissle (sbfiss) – Flatter & more elongate than platy, but not as sharp edged as
SHAPE cuttings
fissile
Fissile (fiss) – Generally flat and elongate with sharp edges
Pressure caving – concave, flat and thin. Sometimes very large in size
Use standard grain Sand / Sandy (Coarse, medium, fine, very fine grained), Mud (Silt/silty & Clay/clayey
GRAIN SIZE
size chart – Micro grained)
Angular (Ang) – Flat, plane surface, terminating in acute or right angles, thin, sharp
edges
Subangular (Subang) – Flat surface terminating in corners
Use grain shape chart
Subrounded (Subrnd) – Rounded corners and increasingly surfaces
Rounded (Rnd) – Rounded surface, edges and corners
GRAIN
Well Rounded (Wl.rnd) – Becoming spheroidal
SHAPE &
Pitting – Surface of grains have small holes caused by chemical solution or physical
SURFACE Secondary
impacts
FEATURES mineralization which
Staining – Thin veneer of mineralisation with coloured, barely noticeable powdery
cause erotion,
appearance e.g. iron / oil staining
coatation or
Coating – Thicker veneer of mineralisation on grain surface
overgrowth in original
Frosting – As a white powdery coating to grains caused abrasion of surface
grains
Glassy – Mineral overgrowth into void with flat crystal surface apparent
Well sorted – Range of particle size confined to two adjoining grain sizes
SORTING Use sorting chart Moderately sorted – Range of particle size confined to four adjoining grain sizes
Poorly sorted – m Range of grain sizes over more than four grain sizes
Silica – Most common but difficult to spot. Look for residual surface, flat crystal
surface
Calcite – React strongly with dilute HCl. Cutting should disintegrate into constituent
CEMENTATI Types of grains
ON/ MATRIX cement/matrix Dolomite – Slower reaction, cement may bubble for sometime and cutting start to
disintegrate after some time
Siderite – Dull yellow brown & white, will react slowly with application of acid
Pyrite – Bright yellow gold and metallic. Very recognizable
POROSITY Take a good look for cementing or is there a common matrix. Sorting also affects
& Visual determinations porosity. 0-5% = Trace, 5-10% = Poor, 10-20% = Fair, 20-30% = Good. Type of
PERMEABILI only porosity e.g. intergranular, vuggy, pin-point etc.
TY
ACCESSORI Quoted with some Note any minerals (e.g. glauconite) or inclusions in the sample with relative
ES/ qualifier as to abundance: Rare (0-2%); Trace (2-4%); Common (4-6%); Abundant (6-8%); Very
MODIFIERS abundance Abundant (8-10%). Common accessory minerals are:
Glauconite (glauc): Dark green-green black, generally rounded grains especially if
recycled. If insitu, indicated shelf all marine environ.
Pyrite (pyr): Good colour, may be disseminated, small nodules or crystalline
fragments.
Mica (mic) : Mica flakes in sst whilst small mica fragments (micromica) are common
in finer clastic. Chlorite = distinctive green colour.
Carbonaceous Mat (carb.mat) : Dark black specks of carbon material are very
common.
Kaolinite (kao) : White clay material, found as matrix and as decomposed feldspar
grains.
Coal / Lignite (coal/lig) : Brittle, black coal layers. Lignite is softer and browner.
Siderite (sid): Yellow brown or dark brown pellets.