Textures of Igneous rocks

Dr. Aditya U. Joshi

Department of Geology,
Faculty of Science,
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda,
Vadodara. 390002.
 How it helps!
• Rate of Cooling can be determined.
• Order of Crystallization of the minerals.
• Rxn during crystallization etc.
• Flow Characters can be determined.
• Understand the compositional character.
• Forms the basis of classification and
nomenclature of the rock.
 Textural parameters
• Crystallinity (Measuring degree of
crystallization)
• Granularity (Size of grains)
• Shape of the crystals
• Fabric (Texture) (On the basis of Intergrain
relationship and Intragrain relationship)
 Crystallinity (Measuring degree of
Crystallization)
• Crystallinity = Magma produces crystals or glass or
mixture of both
1. Holocrystalline = Rock composed wholly of
crystals/ Minerals (Plutonic rocks) = Granite
2. Merocrystalline/ Hypocrystalline = Rock
composed mixture of glass and crystals / Minerals
(Volcanic-Hypabyssal rocks) = Basalt/ Dolerite
3. Holohyaline = Rock composed wholly of Glass
(Pyroclastic rocks) = Tuff
Granularity = Size of the grains (after
Hughes, 1982)
Under Handspecimen Under Microscope

Very Coarse grained= >3cm Very Coarse grained= >3µm

Coarse grained= 0.5-3cm Coarse grained= 1-3µm

Medium grained= 0.1-0.5cm Medium grained= 0.5-1µm

Fine grained= <0.1cm Fine grained= <0.5µm

 Shape of Crystals
• Well developed crystal outline= Euhedral =
idiomorphic/ Panidiomorphic granular

• Partly developed crystal outline= Subhedral =

Hypidiomorphic granular

• Crystal outline is lacking= Anhedral =

Allotriomorphic granular
 Fabric

Equigranular Inequigranular

Mineral grains in the rock Mineral grains in the rock

are more or less equisized are not equidimensional
 Equigranular

Intergrowth texture Intragrowth texture

(Symplectitic texture)
Forms on account of
Exsolution (unmixing)
during cooling in solid
state
1. Granophyric texture
eg. Granophyre– 1. Perthitic texture
Coarsening leads to
Graphic texture 2. Meso-Perthitic texture

2. Myrmekitic texture eg. 3. Antiperthitic texture

Granite
 Granophyric texture

Intergrowth of quartz and k-feldspar (microcline and orthoclase)

 It’s Importance

• Granophyre texture documents =

simultaneous crystallization of quartz and
feldspar from a silicate melt

• Indicate water rich phase

Graphic texture
 It’s Importance

• Graphic texture documents = exsolution* and

immiscibility* process in igneous rocks.

• *Exsolution = when solid solution becomes

unstable- due to a lower temp two phases
separate into distinct microscopic to
megascopic lamellae.
• *Immiscibility= Two substances do not mix
together.
 Myrmekitic texture

Intergrowth of Quartz and Plagioclase feldspar (Oligoclase)

 It’s Importance
• Myrmekitic texture (Vermicular) documents =
Metasomatic changes in conjunction with
tectonic deformations.

• *Metasomatic Conditions= Chemical

alteration of a rock by hydrothermal and other
fluids.
 Perthitic texture

Intragrowth of Albite (Plagioclase) within K-Feldspar host

 Meso-perthitic texture

Intragrowth of Albite within K-feldspar host are nearly equal

 Anti-perthitic texture

Intragrowth of K-feldspar within Plagioclase

 Inequigranular

Porphyritic Texture Poikilitic Texture

(Phenocrysts + Groundmass) (Phenocrysts having inclusions) if
inclusion density increases then,
1. Hyalopilitic Sieve texture

2. Glomeroporphyritic 1. Ophitic

3. Intersertal 2. Sub-ophitic

4. Intergranular
 Hyalopilitic

MEGA CRYSTS

Phenocrysts enclosed in glassy groundmass

Glomeroporphyritic

Cluster of
Phenocrysts in
glassy
groundmass
 Intersertal

Marginal glassy matter within the interstitial space or void (i.e.

between two laths)
 Intergranular

Interstitial space filled by grains then its intergranular texture

 Ophitic

Enclosure of plagioclase within pyroxene: Ophitic texture

Sub-Ophitic
 Miscellaneous Textures

• Directive or Flow textures= Trachytic texture

• Reaction textures= Corona texture

 Trachytic

Texture results on account of flow of magma (glassy matter or

phenocrysts show flow direction
 Corona (Rim) texture

Textures produced due to reactions within the magma

List of Igneous rocks in thin-section
• Basalt
• Olv- Basalt
• Amygdaloidal Basalt
• Rhyolite
• Gabbro
• Granite
• Dolerite
• Pegmatite
• Nepheline Syenite
• Tuff
• Andesite
• Granodiorite
 Format for Journal
1. Crystallanity: Holocrystalline/ Hypocrystalline/ Holohyaline
2. Granularity: Fine/ Medium/ Coarse/ Very Coarse Grained
3. Shape: Panidiomorphic/ Hypidiomorphic/ Allotriomorphic granular
4. Texture: Equigranular/ Inequigranular (Special Texture)
5. Mineral Assemblage: a. Essential/ b. Accessory
6. Inference
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