Igneous Rock Textures

IGNEOUS ROCK
TEXTURES
Phaneritic Texture
Examples of Phaneritic Rocks Phaneritic textured rocks are comprised of large
(the three images below show a crystals that are clearly visible to the eye with
hand sample, low magnification or without a hand lens or binocular microscope.
of a hand sample and a thin The entire rock is made up of large crystals,
section of phaneritic textured which are generally 1/2 mm to several
rocks) centimeters in size; no fine matrix material is
present. This texture forms by slow cooling of
magma deep underground in the plutonic
environment.
The cartoon sketch above, though highly

idealized, attempts to make the point that in
order to be truly phaneritic all of the mineral
grains must be visible. The beginner often
makes the mistake of identifying porphyritic
textured (see discussion below) aphanitic rocks
as phaneritic. For the more felsic rocks like
granite, phaneritic texture is rarely
misidentified. But dark rocks like gabrro are
more problematic. A good rule of thumb is that
fine grained or aphanitic rocks are dull
appearing, while phaneritic rocks are brighter
or shinier (of course be careful of a glassy rock
like obsidian).
Examples of Phaneritic Rocks
Aphanitic Texture
Examples of Aphanitic Rocks Aphanitic texture consists of small crystals
(the two images below show a that cannot be seen by the eye with or hand
hand sample and a thin section lens. The entire rock is made up of small
of aphanitic textured rocks) crystals, which are generally less than 1/2 mm
in size. This texture results from rapid cooling
in volcanic or hypabyssal (shallow subsurface)
environments.
Yes, I know the cartoon above is rather crude,
but it gets the point across. Aphanitic rocks are
characterized by textures in which the mineral
grains are not visible to the eye so they
generally look rather like a blank slate. Of
course, this represents an ideal world. Most
aphanitic rocks will have at least a few
phenocrysts (larger grains). This often causes
the lay person to assume a phaneritic texture,
but with a little practice you will find you can
quickly distinguish between aphanitic and
phaneritic textures.
Examples of Aphanitic Rocks
Porphyritic Texture
Porphyritic Rocks (the two Porphyritic texture is really a subtype, but
images below show a hand usage of the term often confuses the beginner.
sample and a thin section of Porphyritic rocks are composed of at least two
porphyritic aphanitic textured minerals having a conspicuous (large) difference
rocks) in grain size. The larger grains are termed
phenocrysts and the finer grains either matrix
or groundmass (see the drawing below and
image to the left). Porphyritic rocks are thought
to have undergone two stages of cooling; one at
depth where the larger phenocrysts formed and
a second at or near the surface where the
matrix grains crystallized.
Both aphanitic and phaneritic rocks can be

porphyritic, but the former are far more
common. Most often the porphritic term is
utilized as a modifier. For instance, an andesite
with visible phenocrysts of plagioclase feldspar
would be termed an andesite porphyry or
porphyritic andesite (see photo above).
Glassy Texture
Glassy textured igneous rocks are non-crystalline
meaning the rock contains no mineral grains.
Glass results from cooling that is so fast that
minerals do not have a chance to crystallize. This
may happen when magma or lava comes into
quick contact with much cooler materials near
the Earth's surface. Pure volcanic glass is known
as obsidian (see photo).
Vesicular Texture
This term refers to vesicles (holes, pores, or
cavities) within the igneous rock. Vesicles
are the result of gas expansion (bubbles),
which often occurs during volcanic
eruptions. Pumice and scoria are common
types of vesicular rocks. The image to the
left shows a basalt with vesicles, hence the
name "vesicular basalt".
Fragmental Texture
We are almost done, I promise. The last
textural term is reserved for pyroclastic rocks,
those blown out into the atmosphere during
violent volcanic eruptiions. These rocks are
collectively termed fragmental. If you examine
a fragmental volcanic rock closely you can see
why. You will note that it is comprised of
numerous grains or fragments that have been
welded together by the heat of volcanic
eruption. If you run your fingers over the rock it will often feel grainy like sandpaper
or a sedimentary rock. You might also spot shards of glass embedded in the rock. The
terminology for fragmental rocks is voluminous, but most are simply identified as
"tuff".

Igneous Rock Textures

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IGNEOUS ROCK

The cartoon sketch above, though highly

Examples of Phaneritic Rocks

Examples of Aphanitic Rocks

Both aphanitic and phaneritic rocks can be

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