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Porphyritic is an adjective used in geology to describe igneous rocks with a distinct difference in the size of mineral crystals, with the larger crystals known as phenocrysts. Both extrusive and intrusive rocks can be porphyritic, meaning all types of igneous rocks can display some degree of porphyritic texture.
Subsequently, the name was given to any igneous rocks with large crystals. The adjective porphyritic now refers to a certain texture of igneous rock regardless of its chemical and mineralogical composition or its color. Its chief characteristic is a large difference in size between the tiny matrix crystals and the much larger phenocrysts.
Examples of phaneritic igneous rocks are gabbro, diorite, and granite. Porphyritic textures develop when conditions during the cooling of magma change relatively quickly. The earlier formed minerals will have formed slowly and remain as large crystals, whereas, sudden cooling causes the rapid crystallization of the remainder of the melt into a ...
See: Porphyritic and Porphyry (geology). Subcategories. ... Pages in category "Porphyritic rocks" The following 13 pages are in this category, out of 13 total.
A phenocryst is an early forming, relatively large and usually conspicuous crystal distinctly larger than the grains of the rock groundmass of an igneous rock. Such rocks that have a distinct difference in the size of the crystals are called porphyries, and the adjective porphyritic is used to describe them.
Quartz-porphyry, in layman's terms, is a type of volcanic rock containing large porphyritic crystals of quartz. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] These rocks are classified as hemi-crystalline acid rocks . Structure
As a rule, the texture of these rocks is not the same as that of volcanic glass (e.g., obsidian), with volcanic glass being non-crystalline , and having a glass-like appearance. [3] Aphanites are commonly porphyritic, having large crystals embedded in the fine groundmass, or matrix. The larger inclusions are called phenocrysts.
Dacite from the Lassen Volcano National Park. Dacite (/ ˈ d eɪ s aɪ t /) is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides.