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Silicic

Silicic is an adjective to describe magma or igneous rock rich in silica. The amount of silica that constitutes a silicic rock is usually defined as at least 63 percent. Granite and rhyolite are the most common silicic rocks.

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Silicic refers to the uncoloured igneous rocks to the right in this TAS classification (Na2O + K2O) versus silica (SiO2) source ↗
In this top of a QAPF diagram for classification of plutonic rocks, silicic rocks are uncoloured at the top of the figure (Q is for Quartz which is pure silica) source ↗

Silicic is an adjective to describe magma or igneous rock rich in silica (SiO2). The amount of silica that constitutes a silicic rock is usually defined as at least 63 percent.1 Granite and rhyolite are the most common silicic rocks.

Silicic is the group of silicate magmas which will eventually crystallise a relatively small proportion of ferromagnesian silicates, such as amphibole, pyroxene, and biotite. The main constituents of a silicic rock will be minerals rich in silica-minerals, like silicic feldspar or even free silica as quartz. These are just part of all the other silicate minerals that make up 90% of the earth's crust.

This broad classification is refined in practice based on more detained compositional studies where ever possible in the science of mineralology.

Example

The "Shammar group" is a silicic and volcaniclastic sequence in northwestern Saudi Arabia.2

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "USGS Volcano Hazards Program Glossary – Silicic". USGS. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  2. Kellogg, Karl S. (1984), Reconnaissance geology of the Qufar Quadrangle, sheet 27/41 D, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PDF), Denver: United States Geological Survey, pp. 1–33, retrieved 6 January 2019