earth science

Oakley stone

Oakley stone is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Oakley stone rather than just read about it. In short: Oakley stone is the trade name of a building stone that occurs in the mountains of southern Idaho in the western United States. It is more properly known as Rocky Mountain quartzite or Idaho quartzite, a metamorphic rock.

Key takeaways

Oakley stone belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Oakley stone to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Oakley stone from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Oakley stone is the trade name of a building stone that occurs in the mountains of southern Idaho in the western United States. It is more properly known as Rocky Mountain quartzite or Idaho quartzite, a metamorphic rock. The stone is quarried south of the city of Oakley in Cassia County, northeast of the three-state border with Nevada and Utah. The quarries are located on the west slope of Middle Mountain in the Albion Mountains, northwest of the City of Rocks National Reserve. Oakley stone is micaceous, meaning it is a mica-bearing stone. This mineral gives the product a fish-scale-like sheen. The stone is noted for its great variety of colors, ranging from white and silver to browns, yellows, and golds. Another stone in the area, Elba Quartzite, is a green micaceous quartzite. The green color of the rock is the result of chromium in the mica which is also known as fuchsite. The original sedimentary rock from which the quartzite formed was a quartz-rich sandstone. During the metamorphic process, the pressure caused the layers of clay within the sandstone to thin and flatten into the mica-rich layers. The space between planes of parting or foliation are consistent which makes it uniform in thickness. The outcroppings of the stone usually lie parallel to the ground and occur in large plates that can be easily split into thin veneers. Beginning in 1948, the stone was mined and sold in large quantities throughout the United States. It used for interior decoration, fireplace mantels, decks and patios, or facing buildings. A variant is "builders" which are naturally occurring brick-shaped pieces used to face building exteriors, building property walls, or fireplaces. There are about a dozen companies in the Oakley area quarrying the stone. Archie Boyd Teater's Studio designed by Frank Lloyd Wright used the stone in both the exterior and interior of the building.

Geography The staging area for quarried Oakley stone is located at 42°8′20.4″N 113°53′24″W (42.139, -113.89), at an elevation of 5,600 feet (1,705 m) above sea level. The quarries are to the east and Middle Mountain is to the southeast, with a summit over 8,400 feet (2,560 m).

References

External links Idaho State University - Idaho Museum of Natural History - quartzite Mini Cassia Chamber of Commerce Photo gallery - Oakley stone quarry Southern Idaho Living.com - Oakley Rocks - May 2008

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oakley stone

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oakley stone claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Oakley stone before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Oakley stone ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Oakley stone

In research: Oakley stone appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Oakley stone in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Oakley stone is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geology of Idaho, Metamorphic rocks, Quartzite formations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oakley stone outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Oakley stone in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oakley stone means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Oakley stone out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oakley stone in simple terms?

Why does Oakley stone matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Oakley stone?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Oakley stone.