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A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include basalt, diabase and gabbro. Mafic rocks often also contain calcium-rich varieties of plagioclase ...
The hangingwall to the deposit is broadly related to a more mafic sequence of volcanic rocks, either andesite (examples being Whim Creek & Mons Cupri, Western Australia or Millenbach, Canada), or basalt (Hellyer, Tasmania) or absent or sediments only (Kangaroo Caves, Western Australia).
The pristine volcanic mineralogy of komatiites is composed of forsteritic olivine (Fo90 and upwards), calcic and often chromian pyroxene, anorthite (An85 and upwards) and chromite. A considerable population of komatiite examples show a cumulate texture and morphology.
Volcanic ultramafic rocks are rare outside of the Archaean and are essentially restricted to the Neoproterozoic or earlier. Subvolcanic ultramafic rocks and dykes persist longer, but are also rare. There is evidence of ultramafic rocks elsewhere in the solar system. Examples include komatiite [2] and picritic basalt.
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers of hardened lava and tephra. [1] Unlike shield volcanoes , stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and explosive eruptions. [ 2 ]
Bimodal volcanism is the eruption of both mafic and felsic lavas from a single volcanic centre with little or no lavas of intermediate composition. This type of volcanism is normally associated with areas of extensional tectonics , particularly rifts .
Virginia Dale, a renowned scientist with local ties, has again returned along with her ecological research team to sites catastrophically destroyed in the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens ...
Cinder cones are also commonly found on the flanks of shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes, and calderas. [3] For example, geologists have identified nearly 100 cinder cones on the flanks of Mauna Kea, a shield volcano located on the island of Hawaii. [3] Such cinder cones likely represent the final stages of activity of a mafic volcano. [11]