Igneous Rock Identification Lab

This story map provides materials to help complete the GEOS 110 laboratory for identification of 15 common igneous rocks. The purpose of this lab is to...

1. familiarize students with the concept of creating and testing multiple working hypotheses,
2. develop a systematic and scientifically sound procedure with which to recognize an igneous rock, and
3. identify a suite of unknown igneous rocks by first identifying textures, and then mineral composition.

The interactive 3-D models of the actual lab igneous rock samples were created using an ordinary camera and Agisoft Metashape Pro 3-D photogrammetry software. Using from 72 to 144 overlapping photos for each rock specimen, the software calculates the detailed topography of the rock using stereographic techniques and then overlays that 3-D geometry with a composite photographic texture of the rock's surface. The 3-D model is then imported into SketchFab, which creates the interactive environment that is embedded into this story map.