Rocks along the beach are uniquely formed compared to those formed on the hills. They have different characteristics depending on their composition and mode of formation. Different rocks have different colors. Along the beach are quartzes which are of various color range. Some of them are colorless, others yellow, black, purple, green, blue, orange or brown. These rocks give white streak outlook when scrapped across. I also managed to collect feldspar. Feldspar has hardness of 6 along the Mohs scale. When forcefully broke plagioclase feldspar cleavages at 86 degrees while microline breaks at 90 degrees. Some of the white rocks collected were kaolites. They lack visible crystals and are not white when streaked.
In general view, most of the rocks had curved fracture called conchoidal. Rocks with fractures had not developed cleavages or points of weakness in their atomic structure. Underdeveloped cleavages are known as parting.
Scratching two or more of these rocks indicated their relative hardness. Some of the rocks were gouged while others were smooth. Determination of hardness of the rock involved scaling the rocks against Mohs scale. Mohs scale is defined by scale of ten minerals laced in the degrees of increasing hardness from 1 to 10. They include tale, gypsum, calcite, fluorspar, apatite, feldspar, quartz, topaz, corundum and diamond in the increasing order of hardness.
Majority of the beach rocks are shiny. This property is termed luster. It is the ability of a mineral to reflect a given amount of lighting from its surface depending on the physical properties of the surface. Since that several of these minerals are smooth and transparent, they are thus termed lustrous. However, some of these minerals are dull. In the same manner as the degree of hardness luster is described according to the degree of brightness whether splendid or dull.
When crushed some of the beach rocks give needle-like crystal while others are short platy crystals both with similar symmetry. The external shape of a crystalline shape depends on temperature and pressure during their formation. Some of the rocks crystals are platy while others are tabular, dendrite, drusy or prismatic.
The measure on how clearly the rocks can be seen through is termed transparency. Some of the beach rocks are opaque while others are transparent or translucent. Density of rocks with big crystal can easily be obtained from the laboratory. Rocks containing silicates, carbonates, sulfates and halides have low density while those containing sulfides and oxides are of medium density. Rocks of high density majorly contain copper, gold and silver. When rocks containing carbonates are reacted with acids carbon dioxide and salt are formed. Rocks that are made up of sulfides produce hydrogen sulfide and salt.
Rocks can also be examined on how they deform when crushed or bent. This measure of deformation is termed as tenacity. Some of the rocks easily break and thus called brittle, while others when bent do not return to their original position. This characteristic is called flexibility. Elastic rocks can be bend and when released, return to the original shapes. Furthermore, there are rocks that can be hammered into thin sheets. These rocks are called malleable rocks. Ductile minerals can be drawn into thin wires.
The characteristics of the rocks found along the beach were majorly done by observing their physical properties. For a better information of these rocks, there is a need for application of advanced technology.