Rock But No Roll Trivia Quiz

Answer: Basalt

Basalt is an igneous common rock formed by the cooling of lava after it has spewed out of a volcano and begun its cooling process. Weathering changes its initial grey colour to varying shades of brown or red. This is because its iron rich minerals - known as mafic - become oxidised when exposed to the air. The ancient Greek meaning of the word basalt is "very hard stone" and, because of this quality, this rock was utilised everywhere in earlier times in the construction of buildings, cobblestones - spare a thought for the poor old horses - and in statues. If basalt is reheated to a high temperature by modern processes, it produces a product known as stone wool. Examples of this can be seen today in thermal insulation.

The photo clue used for this question is of a salt and pepper shaker, as in baSALT.

Answer: Lamproite

From the inside out, earth is divided into various layers. The mantle is located between the crust and the outer layer of our planet, up to a depth of approximately 1,800 miles. Volcanic activity occurs on the shallower parts of this covering. Recent extrusions of lamproites range in age from 56,000 to 5,000 years, but, as a rule, these rocks are vastly older than that. Formed when molten material from the centre of the earth is forced to the surface through volcanic pipes, this rock is comprised of various materials, but is noted for being high in nickel and chromium in particular. Another interesting fact about lamproite is that wherever it occurs, it can indicate the presence of diamonds.

The pretty obvious clue for this question is of a lamp, as in LAMProite.

Answer: Tuff

With most of the other igneous rocks ending in "ite" it's somewhat surprising to come across this terse sounding name instead. Made from compressed volcanic ash, tuff is sometimes referred to as tufa as well, but that's a term that can also be applied to an entirely different rock. Any rock with a makeup of more than 50% tuff is, rather unsurprisingly, known as tuffaceous. Older examples of tuff have been thoroughly cemented together by time and weather, and were used extensively for building purposes at one stage, particularly so in ancient Rome. Younger tuff is much softer and much more fragmented. There are several different classifications of tuff, all of which are comprised of various elements. They can be either soft, hard, or glassy in appearance and texture. Interestingly, the Servian wall constructed around Rome of the 4th century is built of tuff, as are the giant statues of heads on Easter Island.

The first three questions of this quiz dealt with igneous rocks, i.e. those rocks created by the cooling and solidification of volcanic lava. The remaining questions will deal with sedimentary or metamorphic rocks. The photo for this question is of a tough looking (but lovable) bulldog, as in TUFF.

Answer: Chalk

Coccoliths, according to Wikipedia, are created by "individual plates of calcium carbonate formed by ... single-celled algae... which are arranged around them in a coccosphere". I'm none the wiser, are you? The result, however is chalk, a white, soft limestone. Surprisingly, chalk has a higher resistance to the forces of nature than one would expect, given its nature. An example of this resistance are chalk hills found in various locations, and of course, the beautiful White Cliffs of Dover in England, which were created during ice age flooding, and which only erode at the rate of one centimetre a year. Occasionally though, larger chunks can suddenly break off as well, so it would be advisable, perhaps, to avoid trilling about bluebirds and dancing along the edges.

Usually originating underwater in sea beds, chalk is formed over endless ages, as more and more layers of its sediments begin to compress on top of one another. These are eventually exposed when, through the movement of the earth's plates and other geological activity, the now huge structures are pushed up into the light of day, where they are open to the onslaught of man and the elements. Today humans use chalk to raise the pH level of soils, in cleaning products, in toothpaste, as an antacid, and in the manufacture of fingerprint powder. In days gone by, it was used to write on blackboards and slates at school for the benefit of glum students everywhere, and, amazingly so, in the manufacture of many houses.

The photo clue for this question is of chalk drawings on a pavement.

Answer: Coal

Coal is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from layers of dead plant matter. Today it is the largest source of energy making material used throughout the world, particularly so in affluent, manufacturing countries. China, for example, utilises coal to provide almost seventy percent of its energy sources and employs a staggering five million people in its coal mining industries. Hopefully this will change one day and mankind will be using renewable, non-polluting sources of energy instead. Coal, quite frankly, pongs, and is dirty, leaving fine layers of coal dust all over the place wherever it is burned. Because of the vast quantities used by mankind in its ever increasing, insatiable need for energy, coal also produces huge layers of carbon dioxide emissions as well.

Coal was excellent while we needed it, with few other power producing products available, and mankind has been availing itself of its properties for several thousand years, but now it is time to move on. Poor old coal is being picked on it seems. Here are some snippets of interesting history about it instead: Britons have been using coal for 5,000 years (mostly in funeral pyres in the early days), in ancient Rome it was used as a matter of course for heating purposes, and Marco Polo came across it in action during his travels in China in the 13th century. In his later written works, he described it as "black stones which burn like logs" and remarked that the people of that country had so much of it that they were using it to create enough hot water to enable them to have hot baths "at least three times a week!". This rather suggests that the exploratory Marco was generally unacquainted with the bathtub.

The photo clue for this question is of burning coal.

Answer: Arkose

Arkose is a type of sandstone that is rich in feldspar. What is feldspar I hear you ask? Formed from crystallised igneous and metamorphic rock, it is a material that makes up 60% of the crust on our planet. Used today in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, plastic and paint, feldspar is noted for its durability, resistance to corrosion, and hardness. The major part of arkose, however, is comprised of quartz. Because it contains small amounts of calcite, arkose will fizz slightly when placed in diluted hydrochloric acid. I'd be inclined to do the same thing. The gigantic monolith in the centre of Australia, Ayer's Rock - otherwise known by its aboriginal name, Uluru - is a beautiful example of this rock.

The pictured clue for this question is of Noah's Ark, as in ARKose.

Answer: Breccia

Breccia is broken up fragments of minerals and rocks that have become cemented together over time. Samples of this rock, because of these combinations, can be quite lovely in appearance. This fragmentation of other rocks occurs as they are gathered up along the way by eruptions of lava flows, or by the breaking up of larger rocks by the force of the flow, or by debris caused by tectonic plates grinding past one another, or by being caught up in the tail end of a lava surge. Breccia is such a visually appealing rock that it has been used widely in sculptural pieces or architectural works for many centuries. It was utilised, for example, in the construction of the columns in the palace at Knossos in Crete in 1,800 BC, for statues created by the ancient Egyptians, and in many of Ancient Rome's gracious and beautiful public buildings, such as the Pantheon.

Sedimentary rocks, which comprised questions four to seven inclusive, are formed by the deposition of various materials which have accumulated and then cemented over vast periods of times into solid form. The photo used for this question is of a typical breakfast in many homes. This is known, in Australia, as brekky or breccy, as in BRECCIa.

Answer: Greenschist

Hopefully neither of us is colour blind. Formed under low temperatures and pressures, greenschist, which has a tendency to split, can contain minerals such as chlorite (used in bleaching and disinfection), epidote (appears in marbles and crystals), muscovite (used in fireproofing, insulation and the manufacture of glass), quartz (used in making exquisite pieces of jewellery and crystals), orthoclase (used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics and porcelain) and talc (used in the manufacture of paper, paints, cosmetics, rubber and even food). Throughout the ages, greenschist itself has been used in the manufacture of axes, other stone tools, and ornamental items. So highly prized was this rock by early man that it was known to have been traded over thousands of miles between various countries. Thousands of miles - how amazing is that?

Metamorphic rocks are those rocks whose essential qualities have been altered and transformed from their original compositions over time by various forces of nature. This and the last two questions of this quiz will deal with some of these rocks. The photo clue for this question is of a beautiful little green tree frog, as in GREENschist.

Answer: Serpentinite

Serpentinite, usually formed on sea beds or along fault lines, occurs when metamorphic processes of heat and water oxidise low silica mafic and ultramafic rocks so that their composition is altered. Peridotite which includes some dunite, for example, is converted into serpentinite in this manner. The article from which this question was obtained then goes on to provide several pages of chemical formulae and explanations regarding this transformation, none of which I understood, or that have been inflicted upon you. The ultimate result of all this though, serpentinite, has been used over the ages for ornamentation work, because of its lovely marble like qualities. Additionally, in earlier times, ancient people carved bowls out of this material to use for lighting and cooking purposes.

The photograph used as the clue for this question has a curved and winding suggestion of a serpent in action, as in SERPENTinite.

Answer: Soapstone

Because of its relative softness, soapstone has been used by mankind for thousands of years to carve various works of arts, ornamentation or worship. This rock actually does feel slightly soapy when touched, hence its name. This derivation of its name is somewhat doubtful, however, as soap itself wasn't invented until centuries later, so soap probably took its name from soapstone, rather than the reverse. Apart from the carving uses to which it was put, soapstone has been used, and is still used in some areas, to make headstones, cooking equipment, sinks, the surrounding edges of fireplaces, bathroom tiles, and even, in older days, pavers for the local roads. Examples of its use in individual countries include Brazil, where it is utilised to make jewellery boxes, wine glasses, vases and various ornamental trinkets, and, because of its resistance to heat, in North America where it is still used by some Native Americans in the manufacture of their smoking pipes. In fact, this rock has an assorted number of uses in many countries altogether. One that may meet with the approval of those who like a tipple or two is that small pieces of soapstone can be put into the freezer and then, because they don't dilute in fluid, used over and over to chill alcoholic drinks. This ability has earned them the nickname of whiskey stones. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

The photograph used for this question is a SOAPbox derby, a non-mechanical car racing fun program for kids.