Photos of rocks with compositional layers. Click on any photo for a larger image. Some of the larger images may be on other web sites and will open in a new window.

Red Sandstone with layers

layers-hs_001. Alternating coarse and fine sand layers in an arkose of the Turners Falls Formation, Turners Falls, MA, USA.



Red Sandstone with Ripup clasts

layers-hs_002. Rip-up clasts in reddish sand layers in an arkose of the Turners Falls Formation, Turners Falls, MA, USA. The field of view is approximately 25 cm across.



Iron Formation layers

layers-hs_003. Red hematite and black magnetite layers in an iron formation outcrop in Ontario, Canada. US quarter for scale.



Clear layers in a metamorphic rock

layers-hs_004. Metamorphic rock with clear compositional layers. The composition and mineralogy of the layers is asymmetric and varies systematically. The sedimentary protolith was a turbidite with graded beds, each now about 10 cm thick. Devonian Littleton Fm., Bellows Falls, VT, USA.



Mafic Dike cross-cutting fold

layers-hs_005. Dolomitic marble and quartzite layers of the Monkton Fm., S. Wallingford, VT, USA. The field of view is approximately 1 meter across.