Igneous Rocks With Large Crystals

Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of molten rock material.

Igneous rocks with large crystals. Intrusive igneous rocks crystallize below earth s surface and the slow cooling that occurs there allows large crystals to form. Phenocrysts are minerals that solidified earlier than the rest of the rock and they are important clues to the rock s history. What are igneous rocks. Rapid cooling results in smaller crystals while slow cooling results in large crystals.

The size of the crystals depends on how quickly the molten magma solidified. In many igneous rocks large mineral crystals float in a fine grained groundmass. Igneous rock derived from the latin word ignis meaning fire or magmatic rock is one of the three main rock types the others being sedimentary and metamorphic igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava the magma can be derived from partial melts of existing rocks in either a planet s mantle or crust typically the melting is caused by one or more of. Igneous rocks are of two types intrusive plutonic rocks and extrusive volcanic rocks.

Igneous rocks that are formed underground are called intrusive igneous rocks. There are two basic types. Examples of intrusive igneous rocks are diabase diorite gabbro granite pegmatite and peridotite. Intrusive igneous rocks are formed when the magma cools off slowly under the earth s crust and hardens into rocks.

Types of igneous rocks. The large grains are called phenocrysts and rock with phenocrysts is called a porphyry that is it has a porphyritic texture.