Table of Contents
- 1 What determines if a rock is felsic or mafic?
- 2 What does mafic vs felsic mean?
- 3 What is the difference between felsic and mafic rocks quizlet?
- 4 How is felsic rock formed?
- 5 How does felsic rock evolve from mafic or ultramafic magma?
- 6 What is the difference between mafic and felsic magma?
- 7 What is the composition of felsic?
- 8 What makes a rock a mafic or a felsic?
- 9 What’s the difference between feldspar and felsic rocks?
- 10 Which is the opposite of a mafic rock?
What determines if a rock is felsic or mafic?
silica
In a widely accepted silica-content classification scheme, rocks with more than 65 percent silica are called felsic; those with between 55 and 65 percent silica are intermediate; those with between 45 and 55 percent silica are mafic; and those with less than 45 percent are ultramafic.
What does mafic vs felsic mean?
Mafic minerals are usually dark in color and have relatively high specific gravities (greater than 3.0). Felsic minerals are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3.0. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite mica, and the orthoclase feldspars.
What does it mean if a rock is mafic?
mafic rock, in geology, igneous rock that is dominated by the silicates pyroxene, amphibole, olivine, and mica. These minerals are high in magnesium and ferric oxides, and their presence gives mafic rock its characteristic dark colour.
What is the difference between felsic and mafic rocks quizlet?
What is the difference between a felsic and mafic igneous rock? Felsic rocks are rich in Silicon, Sodium, and Potassium, while Mafic igneous rocks are rich in Iron, Magnesium, and Calcium. Felsic rocks are lighter in color, whereas Mafic rocks are darker in color.
How is felsic rock formed?
Felsic magma usually originates in the crust or by the shedding of mafic minerals as magma rises through the crust. Another way that igneous rock forms is by magma erupting explosively into the air and falling to earth in pieces known as pyroclastic material, also called tephra.
Is calcite mafic or felsic?
Felsic rocks, similar to acidic rocks, contain a lot of silica, sodium and calcium and form quartz and feldspar minerals; felsic is short for feldspar/silica….
| NAME: | CARBONATITE |
|---|---|
| MINERALS | Calcite, Trona and other rare carbonates |
| COLOR | shades of gray |
| TEXTURE | Aphanitic |
How does felsic rock evolve from mafic or ultramafic magma?
In general, melting of a mantle source (garnet peridotite) results in mafic/basaltic magmas. Melting of crustal sources yields more siliceous magmas. So, melting a mafic source thus yields a felsic or intermediate magma. Melting of ultramafic (peridotite source) yields a basaltic magma.
What is the difference between mafic and felsic magma?
Mafic magmas are low in silica and contain more dark, magnesium and iron rich mafic minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene. Felsic magmas are higher in silica and contain lighter colored minerals such as quartz and orthoclase feldspar. The higher the amount of silica in the magma, the higher is its viscosity.
What is a felsic rock quizlet?
Felsic rocks. describes magma or igneous rock that is rich in feldspar and silicia. and that is generally light in color.
What is the composition of felsic?
Felsic rocks are mostly feldspar (especially K-feldspar), at least 10% quartz, and less than 15% mafic minerals (biotite, hornblende).
What makes a rock a mafic or a felsic?
Mafic vs Felsic. • Mafic and Felsic are categories into which igneous rocks are classified. • Silica is the most abundant material found in igneous rocks. This is why silica content has been chosen to classify igneous rocks with higher silica content making a rock Felsic while lower silica content making them Mafic.
What are some examples of felsic rocks?
Granite is a great example of Felsic rocks and muscovite, quartz, and some feldspar are the best examples of Felsic minerals. All Felsic rocks contain a high percentage of silica. For example, granite contains around 70% of silica.
What’s the difference between feldspar and felsic rocks?
Felsic is a term that is used to refer to igneous rocks rich in mineral feldspar. Felsic is a term that is made up of the names of Feldspar and silica. Feldspar is a mineral that contains a high percentage of silica and aluminum.
Which is the opposite of a mafic rock?
In turn, the high percentage of mafic minerals in a mafic rock will give the overall rock a dark color as well. Felsic rocks are the opposite of mafic rocks, in that they have a low concentration of magnesium- and iron-rich minerals.