Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
LIGAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Ligao City

THE IGNEOUS ROCKS

PETROLOGY & PETROGRAPHY

Petrology - The branch of geology dealing with the origin, occurrence, structure, and
history of rocks.

Petrography - The branch of geology dealing with the description and systematic
classification of rocks, especially by microscopic examination of thin sections.
Petrography is a subfield of Petrology.

ROCKS
- Rocks are solid aggregates of one or more minerals that have been cohesively brought
together by rock-forming process.

IGNEOUS ROCKS
- form when molten rock (rock liquefied by intense heat and pressure) cools to a solid state
- Igneous rocks form when magma (molten rock) cools and crystallizes, either at volcanoes
on the surface of the Earth or while the melted rock is still inside the crust.
All magma develops underground, in the lower crust or upper mantle, because of the
intense heat there.
- Igneous rocks can have many different compositions, depending on the magma they cool
from. They can also look different based on their cooling conditions. For example, two
rocks from identical magma can become either rhyolite or granite, depending on whether
they cool quickly or slowly.
-

PROCESSES THAT FORM

MAGMA
a. Increasing Temperature
b. Decreasing Pressure
c. Addition of Water

ENVIRONMENT OF MAGMA
FORMATION
a. Spreading Center
b. Mantle Plume (Hot spot)
c. Subduction Zone
https://www.britannica.com/science/magma-rock
TYPES OF MAGMA
Types of magma are determined by chemical composition of the magma. Three general types
are recognized:
-
- Basaltic magma -- SiO2 45-55 wt%, high in Fe, Mg, Ca, low in K, Na
- Andesitic magma -- SiO2 55-65 wt%, intermediate. in Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K
- Rhyolitic magma -- SiO2 65-75%, low in Fe, Mg, Ca, high in K, Na
CLARIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCKS BASED ON ITS COOLING PROCESS

1. Intrusive Igneous Rock (Plutonic)

• Formed when magma cools deep within the Earth's surface
• Cools very slowly as it is in contact with molten rock
• Produces medium to coarse-grained igneous rocks
• Crystals are visible to the naked eye

Examples: Granite (composed of feldspar and quartz)

2. Extrusive Igneous Rocks (Volcanic)

• Lava that cools above the earth's surface
• Fine-grained texture and crystals are too small to be seen
• Atoms have no time to align themselves to form crystals (random
arrangement)

Example: Rhyolite

CLARIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCKS BASED ON ITS TEXTURES

Texture – refers to the size, shape and arrangement of its mineral grains or crystals

1. Aphanitic (a = not, phaner = visible) rocks in contrast to phaneritic rocks, typically form
from lava which crystallize rapidly on or near the Earth' surface. Because extrusive rocks
make contact with the atmosphere they cool quickly, so the minerals do not have time to
form large crystals. The individual crystals in an aphanitic igneous rock are not
distinguishable to the naked eye. (Super fine grained)

Examples of aphanitic igneous rock include basalt, andesite and rhyolite.

2. Pegmatitic texture occurs during magma cooling when some minerals may grow so
large that they become massive (the size ranges from a few centimeters to several
meters). This is typical of pegmatites.

3. Phaneritic (phaner = visible) textures

are typical of intrusive igneous rocks,
these rocks crystallized slowly below
the Earth's surface. As magma cools
slowly the minerals have time to grow
and form large crystals. The minerals in
a phaneritic igneous rock are
sufficiently large to see each individual
crystal with the naked eye. (big
interlocking grains and crystals)

Examples of phaneritic igneous rocks

are gabbro, diorite and granite.

4. Porphyritic textures develop when conditions during cooling of a 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 fine grained (aphanitic) matrix. The result is an aphanitic rock with some larger
crystals (phenocrysts) imbedded within its matrix. Porphyritic texture also occurs when
magma crystallizes below a volcano but is erupted before completing crystallization thus
 forcing the remaining lava to crystallize more rapidly with much smaller crystals.(fine
grained with floating crystals)

5. Pyroclastic (pyro = igneous, clastic = fragment) textures occur when explosive

eruptions blast the lava into the air resulting in fragmental, typically glassy material which
fall as volcanic ash, lapilli and volcanic bombs. (with rock fragments and ash (Lahar)

6. Vesicular texture is a volcanic rock texture characterized by a rock being pitted with
many cavities (known as vesicles) at its surface and inside. As magma rises to the surface
the pressure on it decreases. When this happens gasses dissolved in the magma are able
to come out of solution, forming gas bubbles (the cavities) inside it. When the magma
finally reaches the surface as lava and cools, the rock solidifies around the gas bubbles
and traps them inside, preserving them as holes filled with gas called vesicles.

7. Glassy or vitreous textures occur during some volcanic eruptions when the lava is
quenched so rapidly that crystallization cannot occur. The result is a natural amorphous
glass with few or no crystals. Examples include obsidian.

Shorter Version:
1. Aphanitic: fine-grained, less than 1 mm, grains not seen with unaided eye
2. Phaneritic: “coarse grained”; visible crystals; 1 to 10mm
3. Pegmatitic: “very coarse grained”; > 1 cm
4. Porphyritic: composed of both large and fine-grained crystals, and the large crystals are
called phenocrysts, and the background is the matrix
5. Pyroclastic: fragmented, angular grains ejected during eruption (e.g. volcanic breccia)
6. Vesicular: rocks that have vesicles, resembling a sponge (e.g. scoria and pumice)
7. Glassy: when lava cools quickly, there is not enough time for large mineral crystals to
form (e.g. obsidian)

CLASSIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCK BASED ON ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

1. FELSIC: GRANITIC
> 65% of Silica,
generally light colored
2. INTERMEDIATE:
ANDESITIC
55-65% silica,
generally medium
colored (Medium gray)
3. MAFIC: BASALTIC
45-55% Silica,
generally dark colored
4. ULTRAMAFIC
< 45% Silica,
Generally very dark
colored and
composed mainly of
olivine and pyroxene

Mineral composition and color index of igneous rocks