Rock Identification with Willsey: Intro to Igneous Rocks!

Learn the basics of identifying igneous rock types with geology professor Shawn Willsey. Explore the various textures and compositions of these interesting rocks and get ready for future videos that dive into specific types of igneous rocks.
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Shawn Willsey
College of Southern Idaho
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[@DC-gj4hn]

Two geology courses over 50 years ago from which I unfortunately retain nothing but an interest in minerals and rocks. Many books and videos later, I find your videos to be great refreshers. Thank you from New Mexico!

[@shawnwillsey]

You're welcome from Idaho. Glad these helped.

[@mikiaefluker]

Ha, me too, 50 years ago! Perhaps you were in my geology class at the University of Georgia? I retained some basic elements of geology from those two classes; however, I’m finding my knowledge was extremely fragmented (no pun intended). Having recently visited Yellowstone, with plans to return next fall, these videos are a wonderful supplement to accompany the sites we’ve already seen!

[@SamtheIrishexan]

I second your sentiment. I am always sad when I come across a bunch of locked research making it hard to self teach.

[@leslie3832]

Thank you so much,Shawn! I get so tied up in my underwear over the rock types because I haven’t had these introductory ideas. Nick’s classes do not have the touch and feel rock lab with them. So you are our ROCK LAB. I love your concept of the “minerals that hang out together”! I’ve seen that chart but not really understood it. Perfect! Thanks

[@sanjeevrampalliwar3917]

Sir your videos are enhansing my geology knowledge day by day .regards

[@thegoodscientistsdaughter7236]

This is an amazing presentation professor Willsey! You are a wonderful teacher!!! Thank you!

[@IamWadeHeineman]

I have no prior knowledge of Shawn Willsey. KZbin began prompting his videos after I started looking at rocks recently

[@justme7415]

Thank you so much for doing this. I absolutely love geology and have always wanted to learn more about rock types. Love this.

[@stevengeorge5605]

Thank you, Shawn! All of your videos are great, and looking forward to more!

[@grizzlymartin1]

Their story. I love it. That’s what I need to help me learn. Looking forward to this.

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

It's easy! For example, the lovely granitic textural term 'hypidiomorphic' simply means, 'not so much self-similar as a more self-similar texture!' Have a nice day.

[@Rachel.4644]

Very helpful! Some of the mystery has been solved! Thank you again, Shawn.

[@leslie3832]

I really like your showing us whether the minerals are all crunched together and sharing boundaries vs crystals in a background matrix. I see that now. Whoa! So simple yet.... new! Thanks again. I will watch your minerals video next.

[@BowlesTroy]

It often occurs to me how clever the ancients were when they invented concrete. It is a substance that is very analogous to what comes from nature. It is a composite material consisting of a matrix surrounding larger particles. Those particles can be whatever happens to be available locally, rounded or more angular. And within the matrix itself is smaller grains of sandy materials. The cement itself is typically ground limestone (calcium oxide) set into place by hydration. This happens all over the earth. The ancients, and particularly the Romans, figured out how to bring this into their buildings, homes, roads etc. They saw how rocks are composed and reasoned that they could do this themselves.

[@bottomup12]

Great series of classroom videos!

[@michelleangers342]

I love what you said about what rocks like to hang out with what rocks. I'm an urban rock hound and in a park I found k-feldspar and mica laying on the ground. I started doing a little digging and pulled out some amazing pegmatites and lovely chunks of quartz, clear and rose.

[@BerryliumBarium]

Thanks for making these Shawn! I especially enjoy learning about Idaho's geology but these long form videos are very engaging as well.

[@sabrina924]

Thank you so much for another excellent class. It was very enlightening, especially when you make the association of mineralogical composition to different types of rocks.... This is especially useful when I have a variety of grayish color rhyolite that looks similar to an andesite

[@MrFmiller]

I really appreciate this series. I’ve watched countless videos about identification. They present the same information but your approach at teaching is easy for me to follow. My persistent desire to learn and previous exposure to all the information gave me the background to understand what you are presenting but the way you teach really made it easy to absorb. I’ll give you credit for that. Maybe I’ll retain more of the information. Thanks.

[@shawnwillsey]

Awesome. This is exactly my goal and glad my teaching style works for you.

[@muzikhed]

Nucleate is my word for the day. Great video lesson Shawn and an excellent reference video. Looking forward to the follow up. Many thanks.

[@loopbraider]

Thank you! I have read all this but for some reason the terminology doesn't stick in my brain! Hearing you saying the terms along with the clear accompanying notes and hand specimens is a big help. Looking forward to reviewing your other ID lessons. Came across your random roadcut videos first, really like those especially some of the ones to places I've been before on camping and botanizing trips! Now wish I had appreciated the rocks more at the time. Back then I just liked them because they were beautiful! Didn't see the stories and depth of time they embodied.

[@patrickkillilea5225]

Excellent! I was out just today looking over our local Igneous Felsic rocks with quite a mix of Metamorphism in our area SE of Hemet, Ca. Entering into the peninsular ranges of S Cal. I think....

[@marcosfreijeiro8763]

Thanks Shawn , very informative love the content

[@LanceHall]

Extra thumbs up just for mentioning Dairy Queen.

[@shawnwillsey]

Always!

[@frankthomas855]

Oreo blizzard, yummmmmmmm!

[@valoriel4464]

Great class. Thx Sir Shawn

[@arthureaton8]

Very helpful! Backing up your explanation by zooming into the various rock samples you have, really helped to clarify and understand this classification.

[@notinmanitou]

Thank you so much for another great video! I just love this series. We started following your channel with the mineral series and have been "catching up" watching the videos from the beginning. What a wonderful job you've done! I envy your classroom students.

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for the kind words and glad these are a good learning tool for you.

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

_Phaneros_ Latin, visibility, _aphanitic_ not visible, _phaneritic_ visible (referring to crystal size); _porphyritic_ from the Latin for purple, as purple is one of the primary colors in a lot of porphyries-just remember a porphyry has TWO grain sizes, a matrix (small grain) and clasts (larger grain); _pyro_ fire _clast_ piece, chunk. Pyroclasts = Firechunks, i.e. from a volcano, specifically erupted onto the surface, not cooled underground (plutonic).

[@Jukindza]

Im sooo glad that I found your channel! Answers on questions, which were in my head for years. Thank you for a gorgeous work!

[@ahmedaziz6062]

four years of applied geology in university and two courses in igneous and metamorphic rocks couldn't get benefit like this video above, again thanks for sharing

[@shawnwillsey]

Thank you.

[@rockprincess]

Great info!

[@dinoflame9696]

Thanks for this, very applicable.

[@alaskaphil8081]

Excellent presentation.

[@baTonkaTruck]

This is a fantastic resource, great presentation!

[@ClintK.]

Love your videos

[@222foont]

Love your subjects, teacher!

[@whycivilequalsinsane]

Thank you!!

[@frankthomas855]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@intercat4907]

I didn't take Chemistry in high school (Bible Belt public schools), and I suffered in college, both Inorganic and Organic. 40 years later, I will be in a Geology class soon. I have been shopping for the introductory material to keep me from blowing up another lab. Maybe that's not a thing in a Geology lab, but I'm not taking any chances - embarrassment is forever. Thank you for being here.

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for sharing!

[@rosemaryhenderson494]

Thanks so much for re-posting these rocks and minerals videos - they're great! I took a Rocks for Jocks course close to 50 years ago and I've learned more from your videos than I think I learned back then (who can remember?). Plate tectonics was kind of new then so that's mainly what I remember from the course (and I can't tell you how old that makes me feel).

[@cherylchiw6847]

Thank you for making these video. Really enjoy watching them. Very informative and clearly presented. Singapore.

[@Vivianne1124]

I so enjoy this lesson. I cannot thank you enough.

[@hestheMaster]

I'm from the Midwest and often see rocks used by landscapers that are definitely not from around here. A railroad once used ballast rocks that are pink in color. Found out it was from central Wisconsin and is a form of precambian quartzite granite nicknamed "Pink Lady". Hopefully you will do more on igneous rocks Shawn, this was fantastic stuff!

[@shawnwillsey]

Yes, I will cover some basic igneous rocks in the coming weeks.

[@tomg3290]

Central Wisconsin by red granet ? Or is pink lady from...devil's lake area? ( That rock is a story in itself..it stacks extremely well..)

[@hestheMaster]

@@tomg3290 As a model railroader the train buff folks would always call it pink limestone which it most definitely wasn't. This granite had feldspar crystalline look with some quartzite mixed in. It was tough stuff and great for ballast under the rails and ties. They mined it northwest of Madison,WI in Rock Springs ,WI .

[@TweetyPAK7]

I can spend a lot of time looking at railroad ballast! Found a nice little piece covered in pyrite crystals. A keeper! Hmmm...maybe I'll run down to the railroad tomorrow. 😄

[@intercat4907]

Funny post. Yes, I have a geologist neighbor who is retired from a lifetime of travel and collecting. His backyard is a collage of something-from-everywhere, and he fantasizes happily about some future geologist's bewilderment when a future gardening project turns into a von Donegan conspiracy movie.

[@danconstanciojr8476]

Wow! Awesome! I learned something. Cool🎉

[@dennisoneill9836]

Great video.

[@wordswords2094]

I love this channel!

[@tomolson1320]

That classroom reminds me of Dr. Holmes class at NAU!

[@dawnmorales1553]

Thank you for this.❤❤

[@bluegreybaby]

Greetings from Ontario Canada! I'm just starting intro to geology in university and I appreciate your video and are using it as a chapter review. Sometimes hearing someone talk about this process helps my brain correlate the information read in my text. Keep the videos coming!

[@shawnwillsey]

Awesome. Glad to hear this was helpful. There’s a whole series of rocks and mineral videos on here for you to check out.

[@sharendonnelly7770]

Great descriptive elements for igneous rock! Long ago, (yeah, I'm old), I lived in Bend, Oregon, a highly volcanic area, and remember many of these types of igneous presentations. It is great to see this explained as to how and why they were formed. Pumice specimens were especially vexing as they weren't really lava rocks, or anything relatable, just bits spewed from the volcanic activity. Was curious at that time as to why there was so much variation, and your presentation clearly explains this. Side note: my mother said I, and my dad (total rock hound), had rocks in our heads. Eh, all is good. Perhaps on a future episode you might expound on Oregon jade. The house my father built had a fireplace of this and I helped gather the rocks to construct it with him. Thank you! Very happy that I found your channel!

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for watching and learning with me. Enjoy perusing all the existing videos while waiting for the new ones.

[@francisc909]

Great video!

[@shawnwillsey]

Thank you for your support.

[@WonNso]

You are wonderful I really assimilate the lesson

[@michaelsanfilippo7433]

I've been watching all your videos and I must say you are doing a great job. The presentation is very organized, easy to understand and yet packed full of information that I can use out in the field. Your lab presentations give the detail and the background and the field videos illustrate what we are seeing while out in the wild. I am a sixty-four year old hiker-backpacker who over the years, have gained a lot of information about plants, animals, birds, even insects. But my knowledge of geology is very limited. Geology is now becoming my favorite pastime. Can hardly wait until the next video on identifying the igneous rocks. Now if I might offer a couple of presentation suggestions; first, as a hobbyist in photography and videography I suggest that you use a tripod whenever you can. It will stabilize the image for much better viewing and will free up both hands for maneuvering the samples and the diagrams. I know it seems cumbersome at first, but you will soon grow comfortable with using the tripod. Second, you might want to invest in a small inexpensive ($500 is inexpensive by the way, sorry) camera. Even an inexpensive camera will give better image quality, focus better and faster, and pan better in the field. What would be best of all is to have someone assist you to handle the camera while you do the teaching. Although that might not be possible. Anyway, please don't take this as a criticism, your videos are great. Thanks.

[@shawnwillsey]

Glad to hear these videos are helpful and your new passion for geology. Great stuff! Your suggestions for the videos are spot on. The geology is easy. I struggle most with the technical stuff. Currently I am using a GoPro Hero 8 on a selfie stick for outdoor videos, It works well but doesn't focus well when I look closely at rocks. For indoor videos, I use my iphone on a selfie stick (but it also has a tripod which I have used a bit but obviously need to use more). I'm open to getting some other camera setup that will work better so let me know if you have specific recommendations. Having a second person around isn't usually an option, especially for field videos. Again, thanks for the comments.

[@michaelsanfilippo7433]

@@shawnwillsey Shawn, I use heavy pro gear for landscape/nature photography that is not good for what you do. So I asked my son, who is a professional photographer/videographer doing weddings, portraits, events and such. His top choice for what you need is the Sony A6400. It is an interchangeable lens camera, older model, but very good for video. Brand new about $1,000 but my son Nathan says there are dozens available used on eBay for much less that half that. He said just get the kit lens, that is all you will need and it should focus very close, very fast. You could use this camera for both your lab set up, and it is light enough to use out in the field as well. If that is more camera than you want to deal with, he recommended getting the close-up attachments for the iPhone. In any set up, he and I both agree that using a tripod as often as practical is going to have the most effect on improving the presentation. The brand Benro is a very good, and reasonably priced tripod. Look for their compact or travel tripods. Working with a tripod takes a little getting used to but, once you get accustomed it becomes second nature. Anyway, hope this helps. I wish I could take one or two of your courses. But I live in California and I'm and old timer just looking for a new interest in retirement. Thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos. I know they are appreciated by all us viewers.

[@michaelsanfilippo7433]

@@shawnwillsey Shawn, I use heavy pro gear for landscape/nature photography that is not good for what you do. So I asked my son, who is a professional photographer/videographer doing weddings, portraits, events and such. His top choice for what you need is the Sony A6400. It is an interchangeable lens camera, older model, but very good for video. Brand new about $1,000 but my son Nathan says there are dozens available used on eBay for much less that half that. He said just get the kit lens, that is all you will need and it should focus very close, very fast. You could use this camera for both your lab set up, and it is light enough to use out in the field as well. If that is more camera than you want to deal with, he recommended getting the close-up attachments for the iPhone. In any set up, he and I both agree that using a tripod as often as practical is going to have the most effect on improving the presentation. The brand Benro is a very good, and reasonably priced tripod. Look for their compact or travel tripods. Working with a tripod takes a little getting used to but, once you get accustomed it becomes second nature. Anyway, hope this helps. I wish I could take one or two of your courses. But I live in California and I'm and old timer just looking for a new interest in retirement. Thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos. I know they are appreciated by all us viewers. Reply he's the Master he's the Master 20 hours ago (edited)

[@ahmedaziz6062]

energetic , thanks sir

[@Lazris59]

This was great. I didn't really think before that the different colors were different minerals. I'm looking forward to a video on Tuff/Pumice and Granite. I don't know the difference between tuff/pumice, but tuff was the stone the ancient romans built a lot with. Granite will be great so when I next visit Yosemite I can look at the rocks closely and know their story

[@kerzain]

Re: Phaneritic rock. What time frame are we looking at when magma is considered "slow cooling?"

[@shawnwillsey]

Good question. Dikes or sills (thin intrusions) might only take a few days or weeks to completely crystallize. Rocks are good insulators so cooling underground takes a long time, likely several million years.

[@briandwi2504]

Could you make your notes available? It would be handy to have the text to refer to. Excellent lesson, as always, thanks!

[@shawnwillsey]

Hi Brian. A pdf of the notes is available under the description. Enjoy!

[@briandwi2504]

@@shawnwillsey brilliant, thanks Shawn!

[@addyourlighttothesumofligh7207]

Thanks!

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

_Pegma_ structure, scaffolding, bookcase. Pegmatitic = visibly structured, i.e. large crystals.

[@satanofficial3902]

"Rocks are rocky. But not bullwinkle-y." ---Albert Einstein

[@Rachel.4644]

Hi! Might you recall where I can find the chart you used here of mineralogical composition as percent by volume? I liked this one's features. Thank you. 😊

[@shawnwillsey]

Should be here with my notes. drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1bVvvWZaKxqdPEIk57oL9D14ceBEm6eHL

[@Rachel.4644]

Found it, thanks Shawn. I hadn't searched thoroughly enough. Great notes.

[@Rachel.4644]

This video is SO especially helpful!

[@ErrolMiller-ey3lb]

THANKS

[@bobriddle6068]

Rocks are easy to identify, most fit in one category and that's, leaveright. And that tells you what to do with it. Leave it right where you found it.

[@Quarterborefan]

Thank you, Shawn! I appreciate every one of your video's. I am not too far west of you, so the information you put out is very relative, and extremely helpful. I have to be honest, a wee bit of my soul left my body when you said you wouldn't be covering ultra-mafic. I am struggling with these a little more than others, mainly because if their local scarcity. Do you have any plans to cover ultra-mafic?

[@shawnwillsey]

The ultramafic rocks are just so less common that I decided not include them. I could show a peridotite sample when I cover basalt as an aside.

[@Quarterborefan]

@@shawnwillsey that would be fantastic. I found a location near the OR/ID border that has an unusual green rock, which so far I have thought to be Dunite. Anything that helps solve this mystery for me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again

[@shawnwillsey]

@@Quarterborefan I doubt it is an ultramafic but we can take a look. Is it near the Hells Canyon area? Might be serpentinite.

[@bayezitzit2792]

Tanks you

[@TheStormpilgrim]

Carrying through the food analogy, a Taco Bell bean burrito would be a material with an aphanitic texture that becomes a pyroclastic flow?

[@nitawynn9538]

I’m reviewing your geology lessons. 😀

[@leechild4655]

When I see a porous basalt rock like that I always think that it came from Hawaii. lol We have a `lava man` garden nome I think was from Hawaii, maybe Mexico for all i know, anyway, its a redish brown color maybe from weathering of the iron in the rock, its rust color?

[@hestheMaster]

It is a form of obsidian called foamed obsidian . The volcanic gases couldn't escape before it cooled so the gases made bubble holes called vesicles and run throughout it and contains iron as well ( hematite) . In contact with air and moisture it did turn red but there are brownish red and black ones as well that have very little iron in them. All types are mined throughout the Southwestern US. Yes they are pretty sharp as is regular solid obsidian.

[@nisiforosconstantinou7580]

Nice information, but I want to ask if can found gold in Granite?

[@shawnwillsey]

Yes, in veins where hydrothermal fluids have moved through the rock.

[@michaelmirraministry8834]

You will not see crystals in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks?

[@3xHermes]

👍

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

I think Professor Willsey is part Vulcan.

[@frankblangeard8865]

Just take a photo of the rock and your app for identifying rocks will tell you in seconds what you are looking at.

[@jamiedbg51]

I wish you would tell us the name of the rocks!!!

[@tomblanco8234]

I like your presentation, I really do, but I have to say the camera work is horrible. Please invest in a tripod or find someone that knows what they're doing to run the camera for you. That would improve the watchability of your video a lot. Cheers.

[@shawnwillsey]

Used the tripod throughout the basalt video (most recent one) so let me know how I did.

[@NisarAhmad-tc3ji]

Meteorites👍

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

_Reina Lacticinius_

[@finworrall9142]

Thanks for the video but I can't believe you didn't tell us the name of any of the rocks except granite...

[@shawnwillsey]

Yes. This was intro video. See other videos for details on rock names and such.

[@finworrall9142]

Thanks, been exploring your channel more and love your content!

[@buckfuhtt2083]

How come it's not pronounced "Gran-nite" like everything else?

[@mystery4004]

Mystery

[@alfredopenny5769]

Clastic=Broken

[@jonerlandson1956]

peace... love... and rock and roll...

[@chelseafries9481]

Where have you been all my life?!?! I have buckets of rocks I’ve collected from all over the US my entire life. A few years ago I started trying my hand at identifying my favorites (just like, 300 or so 🤪) I think I got pretty decent at the identification after investing in some good tools and only have about a handful that I’m not sure on.. When I stumbled across one of your videos, and then saw all the videos you have, I got so excited that I decided not to just randomly watch them, but to go in order of each playlist to make sure I don’t miss anything. 🎉🪨🤩

[@shawnwillsey]

Awesome. Yes, start with minerals then go to igneous rocks then sedimentary then metamorphic. Glad you found these back in the archives.

[@MichaelBradley-ik9bk]

Thanks!

[@frankthomas855]

Thanks!

[@shawnwillsey]

Thank you for your generous donation!