sedimentary
Sandstone
Sedimentary Rock (Quartz arenite)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectHardness of 6-7 on Mohs scale, tan to brown color, dull or earthy luster, clastic texture with visible sand grains, no cleavage.
Identified More sedimentary →
Explore Sandstone in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness of 6-7 on Mohs scale, tan to brown color, dull or earthy luster, clastic texture with visible sand grains, no cleavage.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the accumulation, compaction, and cementation of mineral particles or rock fragments, predominantly quartz, in desert, river, or marine environments over millions of years.
Uses & applications
Widely used in construction as a building material, dimension stone, and for making paving slabs.
Geological facts
Sandstone formations often display distinct layering or cross-bedding that records ancient wind or water currents.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its gritty, sandpaper-like texture and visible mineral grains; found globally in sedimentary basins.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Fossil-bearing concretion, possibly containing a fossil shell or other organic inclusion
Calcareous concretion; exact fossil and host-rock composition are not identifiable from the image
fossil
Fossiliferous Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary limestone with invertebrate fossil imprint
fossil
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Sandstone
Arenite
sedimentary
Shale
Shale (clastic sedimentary rock)
sedimentary
Shale (or Mudstone/Siltstone)
Sedimentary Mudrock (SiO2, Al2O3 base with clay minerals)
sedimentary