A large rheological difference between coeval felsic and mafic magmas inhibits much interaction. 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. All granites contain quartz and K-feldspar. feldspars: hardness = 6 (hard), 2 cleavages at 90°. In geology, felsic is an adjective describing igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz. This one from Oahu is clearly not the most classic version of porphyry because it is mafic, it is extrusive, and the phenocrysts are mafic. Felsic 3. Mafic and Felsic minerals. a silicate mineral or igneous rock that is rich in magnesium and iron, and is thus a portmanteau of magnesium and ferric. muscovite. Mafic or hybrid magmas inject into felsic magma at low volume fraction (0.65) of crystals. Most of the rock is K-feldspar and quartz, and the dark crystals are a type of amphibole that is most common in felsic rocks. myrmekite rims with tiny quartz vermicules, intermeshed with tiny amphibole crystals. muscovite: clear or light colored mica biotite: black (mafic) or dark colored mica. Typically, quartz forms more than 60% of the rock, the rest being mostly feldspar although minor amounts of mica or amphibole may also be present. Felsic rocks are mostly feldspar (especially K-feldspar), at least 10% quartz, and less than 15% mafic minerals (biotite, hornblende). The most common felsic rock is granite. Minerals. Mafic magma progressively crystallizes and evolves while minimizing thermal and rheological differences. There is more … Felsic is an igneous rock term (it comes from combing parts of the words feldspar and silica) describing rocks forme from magma high in feldspars, silica and lighter colored materials. Mafic rocks are darker in color than felsic rocks. It is often assumed that phenocrysts that form the porphyritic texture must be felsic (feldspars (preferably alkali feldspars) or quartz). Which are definitions of “mafic” and “felsic”? potassium feldspar. Posted on August 31, 2014 by triplejunction. Phaneritic ,Glassy 2. Shale is a sedimentary rock. This prevalence is the reason why felsic minerals melt at lower temperatures than mafic ones. Intrusive igneous rock, in which the mineral quartz is more than 90% of the rock's felsic mineral content, with feldspar at up to 10%. Felsic igneous rocks are light in … Click to see complete answer.Correspondingly, is Granite felsic or mafic? The flattening of the fragments in the mafic bands suggests that this exposure is in the hinge of a fold. This broad grouping on the basis of mineralogy related to silica content is used in many modern classification schemes. Felsic igneous rocks are light-colored, so a felsic obsidian seems a paradox. The adjective mafic refers to a silicate mineral or rock (magmatic, either intrusive or extrusive) having a chemical composition rich in iron and magnesium and relatively poor in silicium. felsic. Unlike plagioclase, however, quartz does not exhibit cleavage, which easily distinguishes it from feldspar minerals. Felsic <15% dark minerals: Very light in color, a bunch of quartz, potassium feldspar, very few dark minerals found. Intermediate rocks are roughly even mixtures of felsic minerals (mainly plagioclase) and mafic minerals (mainly hornblende, pyroxene, and/or biotite). There is little or no quartz. ... quartz. There is little or no quartz. Many parallel mafic and felsic bands are present in this area. mafic: Ca-plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, amphibole: basalt: FROTHY TEXTURE (POROUS, PUMICEOUS) Originates in gas-charged volcanic eruptions, commonly pyroclastic. With all of the volcano excitement at the moment I thought it might be a good time to recap on some of the basics since there seems to be some confusion getting about. Mafic lava creates basalt while felsic lava produces andesitic and rhyolite rocks. The amount of ferromagnesian minerals equals or exceeds that of Plagioclase. Felsic rocks are commonly oversaturated and contain free quartz (SiO 2), intermediate rocks contain little or no quartz or feldspathoids (undersaturated minerals), and mafic rocks may contain abundant feldspathoids. Felsic igneous rocks are silica rich and contain abundant potassium feldspar and quartz. plagioclase feldspar. mafic minerals. micas: flake off in thin sheets. It is contrasted with mafic rocks, which are relatively richer in magnesium and iron.Felsic refers to silicate minerals, magma, and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium. Composition 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) Which type of igneous rock would contain the most silica? FELSIC ROCKS. Quartz: Quartz is a common mineral in many metamorphic and felsic igneous rocks that, like plagioclase, also has a non-metallic luster and hardness greater than glass. Your logic is correct when looking at mineral stability in the face of chemical weathering. Felsic … quartz: hardness = 7 (hard), conchoidal fracture. Felsic rocks are mostly feldspar (especially K-feldspar), at least 10% quartz, and less than 15% mafic minerals (biotite, hornblende). Granite: Coarse-Grained Felsic Rock. See more. Intrusive 4. felsic minerals (quartz, K feldspar, etc) are light colored while - felsic minerals have the lowest melting points (600 to 750 °C) The felsic minerals include quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, feldspars (plagioclase and alkali feldspar), feldspathoids (nepheline and leucite), muscovite, and corundum. Intermediate: 15-40% dark minerals: In between dark and light in color. What is the difference between felsic and mafic rocks? The most common felsic rock is granite , which represents the purified end product of the earth's internal differentiation process. You can't apply the term felsic to it. PLAY. (The other general rock type is called mafic.) Igneous rock - Igneous rock - Mineralogical components: The major mineralogical components of igneous rocks can be divided into two groups: felsic (from feldspar and silica) and mafic (from magnesium and ferrous iron). West of the lake, a large outcrop was investigated (Figure 4.17); it is a fine-grained, massive, featureless white felsic rock with 1-mm clear-quartz eyes. calcite: hardness = 3 (not very hard), 3 cleavages not 90°, fizzes in dilute HCl. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite mica, and the orthoclase feldspars . Felsic rocks Rocks composed mostly of biotite, muscovite, sodium-rich plagioclase feldspars, potassium feldspars, and quartz make up the felsic family of igneous rocks. Felsic minerals are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3. The most general classification is based on the relative abundance in a rock of felsic (feldspar and silica-quartz) minerals vs mafic( magnesium and ferrum or iron) minerals. Granite This medium-grained rock is a plutonic rock. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite, hornblende, orthoclase, and the sodium rich plagioclase feldspars. If the K-feldspar is white, the granites are light gray; if the feldspar is pink or red, the granite is pink or red. Intermediate rocks are roughly even mixtures of felsic minerals (mainly plagioclase) and mafic minerals (mainly hornblende, pyroxene, and/or biotite). mafic minerals. It is contrasted with mafic rocks, which are relatively richer in magnesium and iron ().It refers to those rocks rich in silicate minerals, magma, and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium. Felsic definition, (of rocks) consisting chiefly of feldspars, feldspathoids, quartz, and other light-colored minerals. The mafic magma crystallized as a fine-grained mafic tonalite containing more than 30 volume percent biotite, and locally, the felsic magma crystallized as coarse-grained felsic tonalite in small, agmatitic patches and veins in the mafic tonalite. At the Earth's surface, those covalent bonds are much more stable and minerals like quartz tend to be much more resistant to weathering than olivine or pyroxene. Mafic rocks are abundant in the Earth's crust beneath the oceans. The term “felsic” refers to the high content of quartz laden feldspar minerals in the lava. Most granites are light gray to pink in color, but gray and dark red granites are common, too. 5. In geology felsic refers to igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz. a. Mafic is a magma/rock that is rich in feldspar and silica (quartz), whereas felsic refers to that which is rich in Fe and Mg. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Mafic rocks are dominated by plagioclase and pyroxene (even if you can’t see them with the naked eye) and smaller amounts of olivine. Quartz has a relatively low melting temperature, so magma with a higher silica content can form at much cooler temperatures relative to magma that contains denser elements such as iron or magnesium. Either in describing rocks or lava, mafic means that the lava or rock has less silica while felsic implies that the lava or rock has the most silica. These are your white and pink colored igneous rocks. STUDY. Mafic obsidians are scarce, but they have the same appearance. potassium feldspar (k-spar): perthite (wavy lines) 1. 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 Felsic – 1202 – 1472 degrees Fahrenheit . Additionally, felsic magmas may have very high gas contents. 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