Final answer:
Intact rock's mechanical properties include attributes such as strength, ductility, and resistance to weathering, informed by grain size, interlocking, and mineral hardness. Physical property measurements provide additional insight into these characteristics. The distinction between the lithosphere and asthenosphere highlights different mechanical behaviors crucial to geology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mechanical properties of intact rock include various attributes that define the rock's behavior under different stress conditions and environmental factors. Coarse-grained rock textures, often found in metamorphic rocks, display large grains that interlock like a jigsaw puzzle, which influences the rock's mechanical properties. The grain size, degree of interlocking, and mineral hardness contribute to properties such as strength, ductility, and weathering resistance. Moreover, physical properties like natural gamma radiation, resistivity, conductivity, density, porosity, and more are measured to evaluate a rock's mechanical characteristics. These properties are essential in geology and engineering for understanding rock types and predicting their behavior in various applications, such as construction or resource extraction.