Types of Rocks Found In the Amazon Rainforest: A Guide To the Most Common You'll Spot

While the Amazon Forest in South America is the largest globally, it’s also home to many rocks.

There are different types of rocks present in this forest, and they are found in countries like Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

This post lets you know what rock types you can find in the Amazon Forest, what they look like, and where you can find them.

Types of Rocks Found In the Amazon Rainforest: A Guide

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article by YesDirt.com is for informational purposes and is subject to change. Laws are updated. Accessibility guidelines and restrictions change. Be sure to confirm the land status and collection rules before you travel to an unfamiliar location or collect any material.

Limestone

The most common rocks found in the Amazon rainforest are limestone.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate precipitated by marine organisms. Limestone is often referred to as “marble .”

It’s usually white, but sometimes brown, grey, or a mixture of several colors.

In the Amazon Rainforest, you can often find limestone pieces shaped like heads, hands, and feet.

Limestone is found in areas near streams, rivers, or bodies of water.

Limestone rocks are pretty easy to identify because they have a unique pattern on the surface that looks organic or even like leaves or tree branches.

The Ancient Romans used this rock for flooring and monuments because it was easy to cut and looked lovely when polished.

They also used limestone in their buildings, baths, and houses to look more prestigious.

Today, people use limestone for building, sculptures, and other decorative purposes.

Basalt

Basalt includes one of the most common rocks found in the Amazon rainforest.

It is an extrusive igneous rock made of mafic minerals such as augite and olivine.

They are usually green, blue, or black but can occasionally be gray or yellow.

Basalt is a volcanic rock that erupted from underneath the Earth’s surface.

It’s often called “basalt glass” because it has a smooth, dark, glassy appearance with a fine-grained texture due to rapid cooling during an eruption.

This type of rock looks very similar to pumice.

Many people believe that it gives off good energy and makes a home look more natural and less artificial.

You can collect these rocks by picking them up or using a hammer to loosen them off the ground.

Calcite

Calcite is a type of rock that can be found worldwide, although it is more common in the part of the world that makes up much of the Amazon rainforest.

Calcite is more commonly found in this part of the world than anywhere else because there is a large amount of limestone that forms considerably around this area and several other parts of South America in Brazil.

There are a few different varieties of calcite, and you can find them in many different colors, but most commonly, they are white or light yellow.

You can smelt calcite to create matches, porcelain, and glass products.

Marble

Marble is an igneous rock that forms when magma comes into contact with limestone.

Marble is often covered in a small layer of white calcite and can also contain traces of quartz and pyrite.

You can find this type of rock in most parts of the Amazon Forest, but it is prevalent in Brazil even though there are no active volcanoes nearby.

One exciting thing about marble is that it has been used for everything from sculptures to tables and floors throughout history because it has a beautiful look and feel.

Quartzite

Quartzite is a solid, non-foliated metamorphic rock composed almost entirely of quartz.

This type of rock is usually brown or white with a fine grain and a smooth texture.

It has a higher heat tolerance than granite, so you can use it to make tools that can withstand extreme conditions.

Ancient civilizations used to make tools out of quartzite because it was very durable and easy to work with.

Quartzite rocks are pretty easy to identify because they are hard and pointy.

You can collect them by picking them up or using tools that can loosen them from the ground.

People like these rocks because they are easy to collect and make incredible decorations for houses or jewelry.

Others use this type of rock for flooring and sculptures.

Granite

Also known as “the most beautiful rock,” granite is an intrusive igneous rock that contains quartz, mica, feldspar, and lesser amounts of brown iron minerals.

This type of rock is often grey or white with a fine grain, and it can sometimes be pink or red. It’s the second most common type of rock found in the Amazon rainforest.

Granite is harder than other rocks and can also contain gold, silver, platinum, or other valuable minerals.

Many ancient civilizations used this type of rock for tools to build their houses because it could withstand extreme conditions.

Granite can be found in the Amazon rainforest, but only in places of temperate climates that are far inland, like parts of Peru and Bolivia.

Granite today is used for flooring, sculpture, buildings, monuments, and other decorative purposes.

Sericite

Sericite is a type of rock that can be pink to black, depending on the material they were formed by.

Some of these rocks are grown in nature, but most sericites are sourced by mining them out of Brazil’s soil.

They’re usually formed when iron and manganese oxides and hydroxides precipitate from a limestone solution.

Sericite is a dark pink to black rock that is rare but can be found with good luck.

You can generally find Sericite in the Eastern Amazon rainforest, Minas Gerais, and Goias states.

People love Sericita rocks since they can use them to enhance their hairstyle, décor, or to create a piece of art.

When collecting these rocks, you should first find an area where the soil is rich in Sericita minerals.

There is no need to use heavy machinery when extracting the minerals from dirt because the process of mining can quickly be done using your hands or by using a push-hoe or gas hoe.

You will also want to wear gloves as it may be painful on bare skin.

Sandstone Rocks

This rock is usually a light red color with visible dark streaks. It has a light, smooth texture for its size and is often found near beaches or other bodies of water.

Sandstone is often found in mountain ranges and near oceans or lakes.

It can also be collected by picking it up off the ground or using tools to loosen it from the ground.

These rocks are easy to identify because they are unique in their patterned coloration.

You can collect sandstones by picking them up off the ground or using tools that can loosen them from the ground.

If you don’t want to pick them up and carry them, you can also loosen them from the ground and put them in a bag to collect later. They make intriguing decorations or additions to existing rock collections.

Slate Rocks

Slate rocks are typically dark gray with visible light spots on the rock’s surface.

They have a very slippery, smooth texture, and many people use them for decoration because of their interesting shape.

Slate is found in rocky areas near mountains, but you can also find it on the ground that has been recently exposed due to erosion or construction projects being done on the ground.

These rocks are pretty easy to identify. When you see light spots on a dark rock, you usually look at slate.

You can collect slate rocks by picking them up or using tools that can loosen them from the ground.

People like these rocks because they are often used in artwork because they are smooth and shiny.

There is also a popular belief that these rocks can sharpen anything that touches them, like a knife or a sword.

Inside the Amazon Rainforest lies a wealth of natural beauty and biodiversity.

One of the fascinating things about this rainforest is that you can find rocks in nearly every corner.

Scientists have discovered that these rocks contain a vibrant history and evidence linking how humans interact with their environment in recent decades.