Scheme for a quick description of rocks

Abstract

There is no method, good in all situations, to project a sphere on a plane; geographers use different systems of projection, each with its particular faults and advantages. Likewise, there is no universal method to describe rocks; several approaches must be searched. The method proposed here has obvious limits; it does not give a complete description of the rocks, and it will require from the users a good working knowledge of the standard series. The method would be fairly quick, independent of today's rock nomenclatures, and free of any translation problem (an important point in an international context). Also, establishing a standard series of rocks, and a standard procedure to use it, would help nongeologists to understand geologic descriptions, and would help students in petrography. Finally, it would be possible to discuss rock names and attributes on specific examples; a happy consequence would be cutting the time devoted in international field excursions to discussions on rock names, which nowadays represents a conspicuous part of the time available for observations!