sedimentary
Sandstone
Sedimentary Clastic Rock
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectHardness varies from 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale depending on cementation, typically tan, brown, or reddish in color, with a dull luster and clastic texture.
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 varies from 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale depending on cementation, typically tan, brown, or reddish in color, with a dull luster and clastic texture.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the accumulation, compaction, and cementation of mineral particles or rock fragments, primarily quartz, in marine, desert, or river environments.
Uses & applications
Widely used in construction as a building material, dimension stone, for paving, and in the manufacturing of glass.
Geological facts
Sandstone formations often preserve ancient ripple marks and fossil tracks, making them valuable records of past environments.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its gritty, sandpaper-like texture and visible mineral grains, commonly found in sedimentary basins worldwide.
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