.

43

Suggested Method for Petrographic

Description of Rocks
1. SCOPE
The micro-petrographic
description
of rocks for
engineering purposes includes the determination of all
parameters which cannot be obtained from a macroscopic examination of a rock sample, such as mineral
content, grain size and texture, and which have a bearing on the mechanical behaviour of the rock or rock
mass. A common form of microscopic examination
employed for transparent materials involves the use of
thin sections and refracted light. Opaque materials can
be sawed and polished and then examined using reflected light techniques.
To ensure its correct classification, the first step
should be to ascertain the mineral composition and
texture of the rock. Further investigations should include a fabric and mineral analysis in the case of
strongly anisotropic rocks, the determination
of the
degree of alteration or weathering, grain size, microfracturing and porosity.
2. APPARATUS
2.1. Equipment for the preparation of thin sections
from rock samples typically comprises: (a) A small diamond saw with a saw blade 150-250mm in diameter;
(b) A cast iron plate about 250 x 250 x 20 mm in size
for rough grinding, and two glass plates of the same
dimensions for fine grinding and finishing or a suitable
machine for thin section preparation; (c) Silicon carbide
grinding powders of grain numbers 180 or 220 (cast
iron plate), 600 (fine grinding) and 1000 (finishing); (d)
Glass slides approximately
25 x 45 mm, thickness
&l-2 mm; (e) A suitable cement, e.g. Canada balsam,
Lakeside 70 cement or epoxy resin for mounting the
rock specimens; (f) Stains for distinguishing minerals
by impregnating the rock section.
The thin section may be covered by a microscope
cover glass or a suitable lacquer (Merck, Germany) if
no further surface treatment is required.
2.2. The equipment for examining the thin section
normally consists of a petrographic microscope, as this
is best suited to the examination of thin sections.
Stereoscopic
binocular
microscopes
have
been
employed in determining grain size, shape and surface
characteristics of individual particles, but this method
has many disadvantages when compared with methods
in which the petrographic microscope is used. An ore
microscope or a metallographic
microscope is often
useful to identifv- opaaue
minerals.
. .

2.3. Equipment to determine the quantitative mineral

composition, by volume, of a rock (modal analysis)
typically comprises [l]: (a) A planimeter to determine
the composition from low-magnification photomicrographs or projected enlargements on a screen; or (b)
an integrating stage to quantify the composition by
linear measurements on traverses across the thin section; or (c) a mechanical counting stage (point counter)
or a suitable eyepiece attachment to determine the
composition from the points of a grid placed over the
thin section.
2.4. The equipment for measuring the grain size normally consists of a calibrated micrometer eyepiece or
a graticule showing typical grain sizes and grain forms.
2.5. Equipment to determine the anisotropy, fabric
or texture of a rock. (a) A qualitative assessment of
the degree of anisotropy in a thin section can often
be made using a R/2 (gypsum) interference plate as an
attachment to the petrographic microscope. (b) For
statistical and quantitative evaluation of the anisotropy,
a universal stage and an equal area net (Schmidt net)
are essential attachments to the petrographic microscope.
2.6. Special equipment: (a) To determine the composition of very fine-grained rocks such as shales, mudstones, clays, etc., the application of X-ray diffraction
techniques, infra-red absorption spectrography or differential thermal analysis is necessary. (b) For the
observation of surface features on fracture planes and
mineral grains the use of a scanning electron microscope can be of advantage. (c) Equipment for applying
resins or pigments to the rock, prior to the preparation
of sections.

3. PROCEDURE
3.1. Preparation
In order to obtain a representative sample of the
rock, more than one specimen should be selected during field work. Wherever possible, oriented specimens
should be collected and the original strike and dip of
one face of the specimen should be recorded.
The preparation of thin sections has been described
in detail by Allman and Lawrence [a].
3.2. Examination of thin sections

The determination of the minerals present in a thin

section can be carried out only by a trained petrogra-

44

International

Society for Rock Mechanics

pher, while the modal analysis can be done by any

person under the supervision of the petrographer.
Determination of minerals present. Well-established
methods and techniques exist [3] for the determination
of the minerals present in a thin section, so as to enable
the rock to be classified as igneous, metamorphic or
sedimentary.
For the purpose of practical rock mechanics, certain
simplifications can be made but whenever possible the
internationally recognised names of rocks should be
used.
For the modal analysis of the rock specimens any
one of the methods mentioned previously can be used,
depending on the facilities available.
Determination of microjiiactures and secondary alterations. During the analysis of a specimen, considerable

care should be taken to examine it for mechanical

flaws, microfractures and layers of apparently weaker
material which might have a bearing on the engineering
behaviour or strength of the rock. This includes an
examination of the degree of weathering or other
secondary alterations.
Determination of grain size. A rough estimate of the
average grain size is normally part of the examination.
However, as the mechanical behaviour of some rocks
depends to a large extent on the grain size of the constituent minerals, a thorough measurement of the size
distribution of these components is within individual
beds or laminations advisable.
The determination of the sizes of essentially spherical particles presents no problem. In contrast, accurate
measurement of the sizes of tabular, prismatic or irregular particles may be difficult. For such particles,
size may be expressed in terms of volume, mass, maximum, intermediate or minimum intercepts, area or
average or nominal diameters. The nominal dia-

meter is obtained by computing the diameter of a

sphere having the same volume and density as the particle [2].
Fabric analysis. As the quantitative
fabric analysis
requires the use of a universal stage by a specially
trained operator, the normal analysis should be confined to simple observations which might have an influence on the mechanical behaviour of a rock. This
includes comments on the orientation and shape of
grains, grain contacts and the matrix or cement. For
normal rock mechanics purposes the igneous rocks can
be regarded as isotropic apart from macroscopic features such as jointing, fissuring, flow banding and vesicular structures.
4. REPORTING

THE RESULTS

The report of a petrographic

examination
for
engineering purposes should be confined to short statements on the case history (project, origin, etc.), the geological classification of the rock and details relevant
to the mechanical properties of the specimen or the
rock mass. Wherever possible this should be combined
with a report on the mechanical parameters such as
point-load
index, uniaxial or triaxial compressive
strength.
A suggested format for a petrographic report is given
in the Appendix.
REFERENCES
1. Wahlstrom E. E. Petrographic
Morphology.
John Wiley, New
York (1955).
2. Allman M. & Lawrence D. F. Geologicul L&oratory
Techniques.
Blandford Press, London (1972).
3. Moorhouse W. W. The Study of Rocksin Thin Sections. Harpers
Geoscience Series, New York (1959).

Suggested Method

APPENDIX:

for Petrographic

SUGGESTED

Project,

?oc k name

Co-ordinates:

45

REPORT

DESCRIPTION

I
PHOTO- MICROGRAPH

Collected by :

Specimen No:
Description

of Rocks

FORM OF PETROGRAPHIC
GEOLOGICAL

Location:

Description

of sampling

Thin section

No:

MACROSCOPlC

classification:

OF TYPICAL

point:

OF THIN
5eological

Date:

DESCRIPTION

Degree of watheriny

Wrographic

OF SAMPLE

QUALITATIVE
Texture

formation

FEATURES
SECTION

DESCRIPTION
I

MINERAL COMPOSlTlON(u.YXLANMTsW
Structure

(incl. bedding ):

Discontinuiticsz

Fracturing:

RESULTS OF ROCK

PROPERTY TESTS

Point load index

Porosity

. . . . . . . MRr , wet/dry

Density

normal/parallel

: _. .
:

7.

Alteration:

,. . .b$m

to foliation Water absorption:

Any other results,

Matrix:

GENERAL REMARKS