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Petrology
textures, field relationships, thermodynamics, binary diagrams
38
Geology
Undergraduate 3
02/27/2011

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Cards

Term
Primary Textures
Definition
Occur during crystallization and result from interaction between minerals and the melt
Term
Secondary Textures
Definition
Are alteration that take place after the rock is completely solid
Term
Principle of crystal growth
Definition
1) nucleation. 2) Growth 3) diffusion of chemical species and heat
Term
Piokilitic
Definition
the phenocrysts contain small inclusions of another mineral that they enveloped when they grew
Term
OIKOCRYST
Definition
the host crystal in a piokilitic textured rock
Term
Dendritic
Definition
crystals take branching tree-like form
Term
skeletal crystals
Definition
crystal that corners and edges grew more rapidly
Term
Epitaxis
Definition
preferred nucleation of a mineral on another preexisting mineral
Term
rapakivi
Definition
plag overgrowths on orthoclase – occurs in granites
Term
Compositional Zoning
Definition
occurs when a mineral changes composition as it grows during cooling (common in plag.)
Term
Normal zoning:
Definition
plag progresses from a anorthite-rich (Ca) core
to an albite-rich (Na) rim – expected zonation from cooling
Term
Reverse zoning:
Definition
plag progresses from a more sodic (Na) core to a calcic (Ca) rim
Term
Oscillatory zoning
Definition
: is the most common type of zoning in plag because a regular decrease in anorthite (An) content rarely dominates the full crystallization history
Term
Euhedral crystals :
Definition
grains that are bounded on all sides by crystal faces
Term
Subhedral:
Definition
are grains that are bounded by some crystal faces; and
Term
Anhedral:
Definition
grains are devoid of crystal faces
Term
OPHITIC texture
Definition
refers to the envelopment of plag. laths by larger clinopyroxene with little or no associated glass
Term
Subophitic
Definition
(smaller px’s that still partially envelope the plag)
Term
intergranular
Definition
(plag and px crystals are sub-equal in size and glass is still relatively minor)
Term
Granophyric texture
Definition
an intergrowth of quartz and alkali feldspar
Term
resorption
Definition
reflect a re-fusion ir dissolution of a mineral back into a melt
Term
sieve texture
Definition
either deep & irregular embayments, advanced resorption, or rapid growth capturing melt
Term
trachytic texture
Definition
Flow within a melt can result in alignment of elongated or tabular minerals -
Term
aphanitic
Definition
crystals are too small to see by eye
Term
phaneritic
Definition
can see the constituent minerals
Term
pegmatitic
Definition
term for very course grained size
Term
fragmental
Definition
composed of pieces of igneous material (typically from explosive volcanism)
Term
equigranular
Definition
uniform grain size
Term
porphyritic
Definition
if the texture displays two dominant grain sizes (bimodal distribution)
Term
Phenocrysts
Definition
larger crystals in porphyritic rocks
Term
Groundmass
Definition
finer crystal matrix in porphyritic rocks
Term
Aphric
Definition
no crystals, even in thin section
Term
Felsic
Definition
{feldspar + Silica} quartz, plagioclase, k-feldspar, muscovite
Term
Mafic
Definition
{magnesium + FERRIC iron} biotite, hornblende, pyroxene, olivine
Term
Leucocratic
Definition
light colored rock
Term
Meloncratic
Definition
dark colored rock
Term
glomerocryst
Definition
clusters of adnearing phenocrysts
Term
pilotaxitic
Definition
felty texture, non-alignment of of microlites
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