chapter 3 Flashcards
(121 cards)
Three Types of Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Formed by cooling and solidification of magma
Igneous Rocks
Igneous came from the Latin word ________ which means fire
ignis
Two Major Types of Igneous Rocks
Intrusive Rocks
Extrusive Rocks
Type of igneous rock that are at the crust surface
Extrusive Rocks
Type of igneous rocks that are beneath the earth’s surface
Intrusive Rocks
Two Groups of Intrusive Rocks
Plutonic Rocks
Hypabyssal Rocks
These are rocks that crystallize at great depths
Plutonic Rocks
These are formed when magma solidifies close to the earth surface
Hypabyssal Rocks
General Properties of Igneous Rocks
- They all contain minerals.
- The majority are made up of silicate materials.
- The process of igneous rock formation cannot be directly observed.
- They can be fine-grained or coarse-grained.
- Lava that cools quickly often has a glassy texture.
Igneous Rocks Textures
Aphanitic
Glassy
Phaneritic
Porphyritic
describes the texture of fine-grained igneous rock
Aphanitic
texture that is similar to broken glass
Glassy
texture in which mineral grains are large enough to be seen with the unaided eye
Phaneritic
texture of large crystals in a fine-grained matrix
Porphyritic
Classification of Igneous Rocks
Felsic Igneous Rock
Intermediate Igneous Rock
Mafic Igneous Rock
Ultramafic Igneous Rock
This is an igneous rock, so it is commonly found underground near volcanoes and it can occur as border rocks around granitic and other plutons. It can also be found in the oceanic crust, especially near mid-ocean ridges and ancient mountains that were formed from compressed and uplifted oceanic crust.
Gabbro
Properties of Gabbro
- dense mafic rock
- dark grey to black in color
- has a medium to coarse grained texture
silica content of gabbro
45–52%
This is an igneous rock characterized by the large crystals that it contains which can be meters long, and its variable texture. It forms at the end of the stage of a magma’s crystallization when water separates from magma pockets along the margins of batholiths where it is often found. It yields useful dimension stones and stone aggregates for the construction industry.
Pegmatite
Properties of Pegmatite
- plutonic rock, of variable texture and coarseness
- yellowish-white rock
Pegmatite is mainly composed of three minerals:
quartz, orthoclase (K-feldspar), and albite (Na-feldspar)
This is a dark-colored igneous rock that occurs in dikes, sills, and other shallow intrusions in the Earth’s crust. It is also known as diabase in North America. It is commonly found in regions of tectonic extension.
Dolerite
This is chemically and mineralogically similar to gabbro so it is also called “microgabbro”, but with significantly smaller crystal grains, essentially making it a “fine-grained” version of gabbro.
Dolerite