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What is peridotite rock?

What is peridotite rock?

peridotite, a coarse-grained, dark-coloured, heavy, intrusive igneous rock that contains at least 10 percent olivine, other iron- and magnesia-rich minerals (generally pyroxenes), and not more than 10 percent feldspar.

What is peridotite good for?

Peridotites are economically important rocks because they often contain chromite – the only ore of chromium; they can be source rocks for diamonds; and, they have the potential to be used as a material for sequestering carbon dioxide.

Where is peridotite mostly found?

Earth’s mantle
Peridotite is the dominant rock of the upper part of Earth’s mantle. The compositions of peridotite nodules found in certain basalts and diamond pipes (kimberlites) are of special interest, because they provide samples of Earth’s mantle brought up from depths ranging from about 30 km to 200 km or more.

What is peridotite quizlet?

peridotite. A coarse-grained ultramafic intrusive igneous rock composed of olivine with small amounts of pyroxene and amphibole. The dominant rock in Earth’s mantle and the source rock of basaltic melts.

Is peridotite a felsic rock?

Compilations of many rock analyses show that rhyolite and granite are felsic, with an average silica content of about 72 percent; syenite, diorite, and monzonite are intermediate, with an average silica content of 59 percent; gabbro and basalt are mafic, with an average silica content of 48 percent; and peridotite is …

What is basalt the parent rock of?

Some metamorphic rocks form due to contact metamorphism, as a result of heat from a nearby intrusion of magma….

Foliated Metamorphic Rocks Crystal Size medium to coarse
Mineralogy biotite, muscovite, quartz, garnet, plagioclase
Parent Rock shale, basalt
Metamorphism medium grade regional
Rock Name schist

Why is basalt important?

Basalt is used for a wide variety of purposes. It is most commonly crushed for use as an aggregate in construction projects. Crushed basalt is used for road base, concrete aggregate, asphalt pavement aggregate, railroad ballast, filter stone in drain fields, and may other purposes.

What is basalt astronomy quizlet?

Basalt, a dense congealed lava rock rich in iron is the primary material in the Moon’s. Maria. One result of bombardment on the Moon’s surface is a layer of broken, pulverized, and powered rock called. Regolith.

Which three minerals are found in basalt quizlet?

Basalt is a dark-colored, fine-grained, igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals. It most commonly forms as an extrusive rock, such as a lava flow, but can also form in small intrusive bodies, such as an igneous dike or a thin sill. It has a composition similar to gabbro.

Which is the best definition of a peridotite?

Definition of peridotite. : any of a group of granular igneous rocks composed of ferromagnesian minerals and especially olivine.

Where can you find peridotite in the mantle?

Ophiolites and pipes are two structures that have brought mantle peridotite to the surface. Peridotite is also found in the igneous rocks of sills and dikes. Ophiolites: An ophiolite is a large slab of oceanic crust, including part of the mantle, that has been overthrust onto continental crust at a convergent plate boundary.

How are serpentinite rocks different from peridotite rocks?

By the time these rocks reach the surface they are often heavily altered by a hydrothermal metamorphism or weathering. The rocks that are called peridotites are therefore often heavily metamorphosed and should be called serpentinite instead of peridotite which it once was.

What kind of rock is pe · ri · do · Tite?

pe·​ri·​do·​tite | pə-ˈri-də-ˌtīt . : any of a group of granular igneous rocks composed of ferromagnesian minerals and especially olivine.