sedimentary
Sandstone
Clastic Sedimentary Rock
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectHardness varies from 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale depending on cementation. Colors range from tan, brown, yellow, red, to grey 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. Colors range from tan, brown, yellow, red, to grey with a dull luster and clastic texture.
Formation & geological history
Formed by the accumulation, compaction, and cementation of mineral particles or rock fragments, primarily quartz, in environments like deserts, rivers, and beaches over millions of years.
Uses & applications
Widely used in construction, building facades, paving stones, and historically for whetstones and grinding wheels.
Geological facts
Sandstone layers can store vast amounts of groundwater and petroleum, making them crucial reservoirs for hydrogeology and the energy industry.
Field identification & locations
Identified easily by its gritty sandpaper-like texture and visible mineral grains. Found worldwide in sedimentary basins and arid or coastal regions.
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