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USGS on Other Igneous Rocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basalt is a hard, black volcanic rock with less than about 52 weight percent silica (SiO2). Because of basalt's low silica content, it has a low viscosity (resistance to flow). Therefore, basaltic lava can flow quickly and easily move >20 km from a vent. The low viscosity typically allows volcanic gases to escape without generating enormous eruption columns. Basaltic lava fountains and fissure eruptions, however, still form explosive fountains hundreds of meters tall. Common minerals in basalt include olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase. Basalt is erupted at temperatures between 1100 to 1250° C.

 

 

Basaltic Rock
Iceland is the only place in the world where a mid-oceanic ridge is exposed above sea level. It is a place where we can see many types of basalt, a rock that makes up most of the world's ocean floor. More than ninety percent of all rocks in Iceland are some form of basalt.
2-2.5 billion year old granite intruded by a basalt dike (quarter for scale) located between Rae and Yellowknife.

What do the terms mafic and felsic mean?
These are both made up words used to indicate the chemical composition of silicate minerals, magmas, and igneous rocks.

Mafic is used for silicate minerals, magmas, and rocks which are relatively high in the heavier elements. The term is derived from using the MA from magnesium and the FIC from the Latin word for iron, but mafic magmas also are relatively enriched in calcium and sodium. Mafic minerals are usually dark in color and have relatively high specific gravities (greater than 3.0). Common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite mica, and the plagioclase feldspars. Mafic magmas are usually produced at spreading centers, and represent material which is newly differentiated from the upper mantle. Common mafic rocks include basalt and gabbro. (Please note that some geologists with questionable motives switch the order of the magnesium and iron and come up with the term "femag."

Felsic, on the other hand, is used for silicate minerals, magmas, and rocks which have a lower percentage of the heavier elements, and are correspondingly enriched in the lighter elements, such as silica and oxygen, aluminum, and potassium. The term comes from FEL for feldspar (in this case the potassium-rich variety) and SIC, which indicates the higher percentage of silica. Felsic minerals are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3.0. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite mica, and the orthoclase feldspars. The most common felsic rock is granite, which represents the purified end product of the earth's internal differentiation process.