Table of Contents
What felsic mineral is found in basalt?
plagioclase feldspar
Basalts are common aphanitic igneous extrusive (volcanic) rocks. Basalts are composed of minute grains of plagioclase feldspar (generally labradorite), pyroxene, olivine, biotite, hornblende and <20% quartz. Nepheline or leucite may associate or proxy the feldspar giving rise to verities with special names.
Is basalt rock mafic or felsic?
Compilations of many rock analyses show that rhyolite and granite are felsic, with an average silica content of about 72 percent; syenite, diorite, and monzonite are intermediate, with an average silica content of 59 percent; gabbro and basalt are mafic, with an average silica content of 48 percent; and peridotite is …
Is basalt a mafic mineral?
These minerals are high in magnesium and ferric oxides, and their presence gives mafic rock its characteristic dark colour. Mafic rock is commonly contrasted with felsic rock, in which light-coloured minerals predominate. Common mafic rocks include basalt and its coarse-grained intrusive equivalent, gabbro.
What minerals are felsic rocks?
The felsic minerals include quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, feldspars (plagioclase and alkali feldspar), feldspathoids (nepheline and leucite), muscovite, and corundum. Because felsic minerals lack iron and magnesium, they are generally light in colour and consequently are referred to as such or as leucocratic.
Does basalt absorb water?
The importance of sealing Basalt tiles All natural stones are porous to some extent, which means they may absorb liquids and moisture if exposed. Basalt is one of the denser natural stones, as compared to a material like sandstone but can still absorb unwanted contaminants over time.
Does mafic or felsic cool faster?
Felsic magmas tend to be cooler than mafic magmas when crystallization begins (because they don’t have to be as hot to remain liquid), and so they may start out crystallizing pyroxene (not olivine) and plagioclase.
Is basalt basic or acidic?
Acidic rock is rock that is either siliceous, having a high content of silica (SiO2), or rock with a low pH. The two definitions are not equivalent, e.g., in the case of basalt, which is never high in pH (basic), but is low in SiO2.
What are the types of basalt?
Basalt is a dark-colored, fine-grained, igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals. It most commonly forms as an extrusive rock, such as a lava flow, but can also form in small intrusive bodies, such as an igneous dike or a thin sill.
Do felsic rocks cool quickly?
They cool too quickly to form crystals. Glasses do not have an orderly arrangement of atoms and there are therefore no minerals, in the strict sense, in them. Felsic minerals have the lowest melting points (600 to 750 °C) and mafic minerals have higher melting points (1000 to 1200 °C).
Are mafic rocks dense?
The mafic rocks also typically have a higher density than felsic rocks. The term roughly corresponds to the older basic rock class. Mafic lava, before cooling, has a low viscosity, in comparison with felsic lava, due to the lower silica content in mafic magma.
What kind of minerals are found in mafic rocks?
Most Common Minerals Rock Name felsic glass (may contain a few minerals typical of felsic rocks) pumice mafic glass (may contain a few mineral typical of mafic rocks) scoria Note: Basalt with fewer holes, known as vesicles, is calledvesicular basalt. Scoria has more holes and may be black or red in color.
What kind of minerals are found in felsic rocks?
Most Common Minerals Rock Name felsic may contain a few minerals typical of felsic rocks rhyolitic tuff medium may contain a few minerals typical of intermediate rocks andesitic tuff mafic may contain a few minerals typical of mafic rocks basaltic tuff
What’s the difference between a mafic and a felsic rock?
Difference Between Mafic and Felsic Rocks. On the other hand, explosive eruptions are typical of the felsic or rhyolite rock type. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to this rule; when degassed felsic lava erupts at the surface, it is non-explosive, and some hydro-volcanic eruptions with mafic magma are explosive.
What do you not find in a felsic igneous rock?
What minerals would you not find in a felsic igneous rock? Felsic rocks are commonly oversaturated and contain free quartz (SiO2), intermediate rocks contain little or no quartz or feldspathoids (undersaturated minerals), and mafic rocks may contain abundant feldspathoids. Click to see full answer.