Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Assume oxygen will be a main component of the igneous rock. The nature of igneous rock is that it is magma or lava that has cooled from contact with water or air. Oxygen will then be a main component of the rock and the groundmass.
Chip away the groundmass dust off the igneous rock sample. Utilize a chipping tool that will remove small, millimeter-length particles.
Collect the dust and any crystal-like objects that fall from the igneous rock. The crystal-like objects may be phenocrysts, large mineral deposits that may help determine the composition of the groundmass.
Place the dust underneath a microscope. Any microscope in labs can work. It needs to allow the viewer a chance to look at the mineral dust at a millimeter level.
View the minerals in the microscope. If crystals appear in the groundmass and are light in color, that means elements such as potassium and sodium have a high chemical percentage in the rock.
Investigate the minerals further. If there are no crystals in the groundmass and the minerals have a dark color to them, that could mean the groundmass has high concentrations of iron and magnesium.
Look at the phenocrysts if there are any in the groundmass. Phenocrysts mostly form from igneous rocks that accumulate near the continental shelves. The pressure causes the rapid crystallization and the formation of phenocrysts. The presence of phenocrysts means that the groundmass could be low in silicon, which is usually abundant in igneous rock, and that it is very high in calcium minerals.
Write down your findings. Depending on what you discover, you will have a groundmass that includes basic elements such as oxygen and silicon or unique chemical compounds that can have iron, calcium, potassium, sodium or magnesium in the makeup.