Mafic
Videos
Mafic is a term used in geology to describe silicate minerals, magmas, and igneous rocks that are rich in magnesium and iron, while being relatively low in silica content. Common rock-forming mafic mi
Basalt
Apatite
An ʻaʻā flow from Mauna Loa (a volcano in Hawaii), composed of mafic magma.
Basalt
Videos
Basalt; US: buh-SALT is an aphanitic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon
Mafic
…being relatively low in silica content. Common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include basalt, diabase and gabbro. Mafic rocks often also contain calcium-rich varieties of plagioclase feldspar. Mafic materials can also be described as ferromagnesian…
Basalt 12
QAPF diagram with basalt/andesite field highlighted in yellow. Basalt is distinguished from andesite by SiO2 < 52%.
Vesicular basalt at Sunset Crater, Arizona. US quarter (24mm) for scale.
Columnar basalt flows in Yellowstone National Park, US