sedimentary
Glauconitic Sandstone
Glauconitic Sandstone (Greensand)
Hardness: 2-3 (glauconite) to 7 (silica cement); Color: olive green, dark green, or grayish-green; Luster: dull to earthy; Texture: Granular/Sandy; Specific Gravity: 2.4 to 2.85.
- Hardness
- 2-3 (glauconite) to 7 (silica cement)
- Color
- olive green, dark green, or grayish-green
- Luster
- dull to earthy
Identified More sedimentary →
Explore Glauconitic Sandstone in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 2-3 (glauconite) to 7 (silica cement); Color: olive green, dark green, or grayish-green; Luster: dull to earthy; Texture: Granular/Sandy; Specific Gravity: 2.4 to 2.85.
Formation & geological history
Formed in marine shelf environments through the slow accumulation of minerals in shallow, oxygen-depleted seawater. Most deposits range from Cretaceous to Cenozoic in age.
Uses & applications
Primarily used as a soil conditioner and natural fertilizer (high potassium content), water softener, and historically as a pigment. Sometimes used in local construction.
Geological facts
The green color comes from the mineral glauconite, an iron potassium silicate. Large deposits are famously found in the New Jersey coastal plain and parts of the UK.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its distinctive greenish-gray granular appearance and tendency to crumble into sand-like grains when weathered. Common in coastal sedimentary basins.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Mudstone
Argillite / Siliciclastic sedimentary rock
sedimentary
Cone-in-cone structure (Limestone)
Cone-in-cone structure (Secondary Sedimentary Structure)
sedimentary
Brown Sandstone (River Rock)
Arenite
sedimentary
Sandstone Grain
Clastic Sedimentary Rock Grain (SiO2 dominated)
sedimentary
Shale or Slaty Mudstone
Argillaceous sedimentary rock
sedimentary