Intro to Igne

ous
B 6 Rocks and Te
LA xtures
 Norms vs. Modes
• Defined by the IUGS (International Union of Geological
Science)
• Both are used to describe mineral abundances
– Mode
• Actual mineralogical composition (%)
• Thin section point count
– Norm
• Analytically calculated abundance of minerals
– Whole-rock chemical analysis (%)
» Cation assignment based on stoichiometry
– Ex. CIPW norms
 Bowen’s Reaction Series
• Order of crystallization of rock-forming minerals
(basalts)
• Important tool when it comes to mineral associations
• Classified based on SiO2 content (wt. %)
– Ultramafic (<45%)
– Mafic (45%-52%)
– Intermediate (52%-66%)
– Felsic (>66%)
 IUGS Volcanic Classifications

• Based on depth of their emplacement

• Plutonic
– Coarse grained
– Formed at great depths
• Volcanics
– Fine grained
– On or near surface
• Glass bearing and glassy rocks
 Textures

– Way in which grains relate to grains immediately

surrounding them
– Small-scale features seen in hand sample and
microscope
• Ex. Degree of crystallinity, grain size, grain shape and
intergrowths
– Important indicators of cooling and crystallization
rates
 Degree of Crystallinity
• Rate of cooling
• holohaline - totally glassy (rapid cooling)
– Obsidian
• hypohaline - glass and xtals
– Rhyolite
• holocrystalline - totally crystalline (slow cooling)
– Granite
 Grain Shape
0 Indicates sequence of crystallization
0 Euhedral - xtal faces develop if grain is allowed to grow freely
in a melt
0 Subhedral - somewhat crowded out by nearby minerals, but
still some shape
0 Anhedral - forced to take the shape imposed by surrounding
xtals
 Grain Size
0 Aphanitic - individual xtals cannot be discerned w/o a
microscope
0 Phaneritic - essential minerals are visible to the
unaided eye
0 Pegmatitic - exceptionally coarse grained (greater
than 2.5 cm)
0 Porphyritic-
0 Large crystals (phenocrysts) in a fine grained matrix
0 Igneous equivalent to porphyroblast
 Phaneritic
Aphanitic

Phaneritic

Aphanitic
 Vesicular Textures
• Vesicles - exsolution of gas
• Amygdaloidal - secondary minerals filling
in vesicles
– Qtz, calcite, zeolite, chlorite (common)
 Flow Textures
0 Continued flow during crystallization
0 Alignment of crystals (logs in a stream)
0 Trachytic texture - platy feldspars in a subparallel alignment
 Reaction textures
• Intergrowths that result from reaction
• Coronas - mineral reacts with magma
• Continuous solid solution – zoning
 Graphic
• Intergrowth texture that resembles
wiggly lines
– Caused by the simultaneous crystallization of
quartz and feldspar
 Intergrowth textures
• Simultaneous xtallization, sequentially, or at
the expense of one another
• Poikilitic texture - granular xtals randomly
enclosed within larger xtals of another mineral
• Ophitic texture - laths of plag are enclosed in
pyx
• Perthite - lamellae of plag in kspar host
• Antiperthite - lamellae of kspar in plag host
 Poikilitic

Perthite &
Ophitic Perthite &
Antiperthite
Antiperthite
 Lava structures

Pahoehoe:
Ropy lava
Pillow: extrusion
beneath water

AA: rough, broken lava

Intrusive

Extrusive
Two ways to plot on QAF:
(1)Tie lines
(2)Equation
 Ex.
• Looking at a rock, I find the following
composition:
– 30% quartz
– 40% potassium feldspar
– 10% plagioclase
– 10% hornblende
– 5% biotite
– 5% muscovite
Method 1
 Step 2
– Total all the QAP components
• Ex.
– 30% quartz
– 40% potassium feldspar
– 10% plagioclase
– TOTAL 80%
– Normalize to QAP
• Q 30/80= 38%
• A 40/80= 50%
• P 10/80= 12%
The rock name is
Q
where the lines
100%
intersect.

100% 100%
A P
The rock name is
where the lines
intersect. They
may also form a
triangle.
Method 2
– Pick one of the component and draw the line across
• Normalize to QA, QP, or AP
• Ex.
– 30% quartz Q
• Total PA
» 40% potassium feldspar
» 10% plagioclase
» TOTAL 50%
– Normalize to PA
• A 40/50= 80%
• P 10/50= 20%
The rock name is
Q
where the lines
100%
intersect.

It may plot
slightly different,
but it will be very
close.

100% 100%
A P