Mafic

A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate

mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium
and iron.[1] 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 feldspar.
Mafic materials can also be described as
ferromagnesian.

Basalt

Chemically, mafic rocks are enriched in

iron, magnesium and calcium and typically
dark in color. In contrast, the felsic rocks
are typically light in color and enriched in
aluminium and silicon along with
potassium and sodium. The mafic rocks
also typically have a higher density than
felsic rocks. The term roughly corresponds
to the older basic rock class.

Mafic lava, before cooling, has a low

viscosity, in comparison with felsic lava,
due to the lower silica content in mafic
magma. Water and other volatiles can
more easily and gradually escape from
mafic lava. As a result, eruptions of
volcanoes made of mafic lavas are less
explosively violent than felsic-lava
eruptions.[2]
 Rock texture Name of mafic rock

Pegmat it ic Gabbro pegmat it e

Coarse grained (phanerit ic) Gabbro

Coarse grained and porphyrit ic Porphyrit ic gabbro

Medium grained Diabase or dolerit e, microgabbro

Fine grained (aphanit ic) Basalt

Fine grained and porphyrit ic Porphyrit ic basalt

Pyroclast ic Basalt t uff or breccia

Vesicular Vesicular basalt

Amygdaloidal Amygdaloidal basalt

Many small vesicles Scoria

Glassy t ext ure Tachylyt e, sideromelane, palagonit e

See also
QAPF diagram
List of minerals
List of rock types
Bowen's reaction series

References
1. Schlumberger: Oilfield Glossary
 2. "Volcanoes" . Columbia University.
Retrieved 18 June 2019.

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