Southwestern Virginia Case Study
S6 Striped Rock Granite
Elizabeth A. Johnson
Outcrop and Hand Sample Photos and Videos
Click on the image to enlarge.
The “Striped Rock” name comes from Anna Jonas Stose. The “stripes” are not part of the rock itself; rather, they are formed from oxidation and staining of the surface of the granite as can be seen in the 1st picture of a quarry wall:
The Striped Rock granite does contain enclaves, or xenoliths, of a more mafic igneous rock. There is a long, skinny enclave in the boulder to the right of the person with the red hat (below). You can also see an example in the YouTube hand sample video.
Thin Section Photos and Videos
Click on the image to make it larger. 1st = plane polarized light; 2nd = cross-polarized light.
Biotite, quartz, k-feldspar. Can you see the recrystallization texture in the quartz?
Entire thin section scan. 1st = ppl; 2nd = xpl. Click on the image to make it larger.
Media Attributions
- OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
- OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
- S6 Striped Rock ppl 4x
- S6 Striped Rock xpl 4x
- S6 Striped Rock ppl
- S6 Striped Rock xpl