Question:

The cleavage which occurs in rocks with minerals that are not evenly distributed is called as

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Rock cleavage is a set of closely spaced planar surfaces along which a rock tends to split, produced during deformation and metamorphism. The style of cleavage depends on how the minerals are arranged within the rock.
Updated On: Jun 16, 2026
  • Transposition cleavage
  • Slaty cleavage
  • Continuous cleavage
  • Spaced cleavage
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Concept:
Rock cleavage is a set of closely spaced planar surfaces along which a rock tends to split, produced during deformation and metamorphism. The style of cleavage depends on how the minerals are arranged within the rock.

Step 1:
Consider an evenly distributed mineral fabric. When the platy minerals are uniformly spread throughout a very fine grained rock, the cleavage planes are extremely close and pervasive, giving continuous (or slaty) cleavage.

Step 2:
When the minerals are not evenly distributed, the rock separates into distinct mineral-rich bands (cleavage domains) alternating with bands of other minerals (microlithons). The cleavage planes are then discrete and separated by measurable spacing. This is called spaced cleavage.

Answer: Option (4) — Spaced cleavage.
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