Earth and Environment Atlas

How The Planet Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Material

Rhyolite

Igneous Rocks

Rhyolite is the most silica-rich of the volcanic rocks, generally glassy or fine-grained in texture but sometimes porphyritic, with larger phenocrysts set in a fine-grained groundmass. It is the extrusive equivalent of granite, formed from silica-rich magma extruded from a volcanic vent and cooled quickly at the surface. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Classification
Igneous Rock 1
Use
Industrial and Abrasive 2
Wikipedia 'Rhyolite' states this use (or use-bearing statement); earth5 pass.
Kind
Rock 1
Formation Class
Igneous, extrusive (the extrusive equivalent of granite, formed from silica-rich magma cooling quickly at the surface) 1
Connections

Associated With

Dacite, Materials

Compositional series: dacite sits between andesite and rhyolite in silica content.

Source Dacite (Wikipedia)
Feldspar, Materials

Sanidine and plagioclase are both feldspar-group minerals; feldspar is a principal mineral of rhyolite.

Source Rhyolite (Wikipedia)
Granite, Materials

Extrusive equivalent of intrusive granite.

Source Rhyolite (Wikipedia)
Quartz, Materials

Quartz named directly as a predominant mineral of rhyolite.

Source Rhyolite (Wikipedia)

Caused By

Volcanism, Processes
Source Rhyolite (Wikipedia)

Classified As

In Discipline

Geology, Disciplines
Sources
1. Rhyolite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    It is the extrusive equivalent of granite.
  • Lead section
    Rhyolite ( RY-ə-lyte) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass.
  • Associated With: Feldspar, Mineralogy section
    The mineral assemblage is predominantly quartz, sanidine, and plagioclase.
  • Associated With: Quartz, Mineralogy section
    The mineral assemblage is predominantly quartz, sanidine, and plagioclase.
  • Caused By: Volcanism, Lead paragraph
    Rhyolite ( RY-ə-lyte) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks
View the Source
2. Wikidata: Rhyolite
Wikidata Q190727
Dacite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Dacite, Lead section
Quote, Associated With: Dacite, Lead section
intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.