Rock Identification Key

So you have a rock but you don’t know what it is? Well, I’d have to say that happens all the time. There are so many different rocks and they are hard to identify. This handy dichotomous rock key will help!

Hands-on identifications using rock properties like luster, grain size, hardness, and streak.  Don’t worry if you don’t know how to spot each of these properties.  The key includes pages detailing exactly how to use the key and identify each property.

This rock key has 18 common, backyard rock types that you can easily move through the key and identify.  Use it for homeschool lesson or in the classroom.

– Anthracite (sedimentary)
– Basalt (igneous)
– Chert/Flint (sedimentary)
– Conglomerate (sedimentary)
– Diabase (igneous)
– Gabbro (igneous)
– Gneiss (metamorphic)
– Granite (metamorphic)
– Limestone (sedimentary)
– Marble (metamorphic)
– Obsidian (igneous)
– Pumice (igneous)
– Quartzite (metamorphic)
– Rhyolite (igneous)
– Sandstone (sedimentary)
– Schist (metamorphic)
– Serpentinite (metamorphic)
– Shale (semdimentary)

Or grab the full Meet the Rocks Lesson about rock properties here.