Asked by: Abed Ouahabi
science geology

Which rock contains the most silica?

29
Silica is an important ingredient to manufacture a wide variety of materials. Quartz; Quartz is the most abundant silica mineral. Pure Quartz is colorless and transparent. It occurs in most igneous and practically all metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.


Considering this, what rock has more silica?

igneous rocks

Likewise, does felsic have high silica? The term comes from FEL for feldspar (in this case the potassium-rich variety) and SIC, which indicates the higher percentage of silica. Felsic minerals are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3.0. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite mica, and the orthoclase feldspars.

Furthermore, which type of igneous rock has the highest silica content?

Chemical classification and petrology

  • felsic igneous rocks containing a high silica content, greater than 63% SiO2 (examples granite and rhyolite),
  • intermediate igneous rocks containing between 52–63% SiO2 (example andesite and dacite),

Which type of magma has the greatest silica content?

MAGMA COMPOSITION AND ROCK TYPES

SiO2 CONTENT MAGMA TYPE VOLCANIC ROCK
~50% Mafic Basalt
~60% Intermediate Andesite
~65% Felsic (low Si) Dacite
~70% Felsic (high Si) Rhyolite

Related Question Answers

Lioudmila Queuche

Professional

Does silica make rocks darker or lighter?

Intermediate rocks have lower silica content (55-65%). They are darker than felsic rocks but lighter than mafic rocks. Some examples are: Andesite/dacite (extrusive) and diorite/granodiorite (intrusive). Mafic rocks have low silica content (45-55%).

Lori Mikhailushkin

Professional

Which rock composition has the least amount of silica?

Felsic rocks are commonly oversaturated and contain free quartz (SiO2), intermediate rocks contain little or no quartz or feldspathoids (undersaturated minerals), and mafic rocks may contain abundant feldspathoids.

Vassil Paternina

Professional

Is Basalt high in silica?

Basalt. Basalt, extrusive igneous (volcanic) rock that is low in silica content, dark in colour, and comparatively rich in iron and magnesium.

Juncal Jelnov

Explainer

What chemical property is most commonly used to classify igneous rocks?

Volcanic glass is called obsidian. In addition to texture, igneous rocks may are classified according to their chemical composition. The most general classification is based on the relative abundance in a rock of felsic (feldspar and silica-quartz) minerals vs mafic (magnesium and ferrum or iron) minerals.

Sumia Elanin

Explainer

What are some common minerals in felsic rock?

Felsic rocks are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3. The most common felsic rock is granite. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite, orthoclase, and the sodium-rich plagioclase feldspars (albite-rich).

Ingresar Anthofer

Explainer

Is Obsidian mafic?

Though obsidian is usually dark in color, similar to mafic rocks such as basalt, obsidian's composition is extremely felsic. Obsidian consists mainly of SiO2 (silicon dioxide), usually 70% or more. Crystalline rocks with a similar composition include granite and rhyolite.

Wenqiang Zanner

Pundit

What is a felsic rock?

Felsic rocks are igneous rocks that are rich in feldspar and silicon. The word 'felsic' was made up from parts of those words. Because they are made of lighter elements, they tend to be more buoyant than mafic rocks, which are rocks high in magnesium and iron, like basalt. Granite is the most common felsic rock.

Essam Borghesi

Pundit

Which rock does not contain interlocking crystals?

Igneous rocks

Sequero Heussmann

Pundit

What is another name for igneous rocks?

Igneous rocks are also known by the names plutonic and volcanic rock. Plutonic rock is another name for intrusive igneous rock.

Anitz Robres

Pundit

What are the two types of igneous rocks?

Igneous rocks are formed from lava or magma. Magma is molten rock that is underground and lava is molten rock that erupts out on the surface. The two main types of igneous rocks are plutonic rocks and volcanic rocks. Plutonic rocks are formed when magma cools and solidifies underground.

Pam Huma

Teacher

Is Basalt felsic?

Granite and rhyolite are considered felsic, while basalt and gabbro are mafic (click here for more information on mafic and felsic). Felsic rocks, in general, form the bulk of the continental plates, while mafic basalt forms the seafloor.

Idurre Perachiah

Teacher

Is Basalt acidic or alkaline?

Acidic rock is rock that is either siliceous, having a high content of silica (SiO2), or rock with a low pH. The two definitions are not equivalent, e.g., in the case of basalt, which is never high in pH (basic), but is low in SiO2.

Adrienne Kiemie

Teacher

What is the composition of igneous rocks?

Because of the dominance of oxygen and silicon in the crust, igneous rocks are mostly made up of silicate minerals. These silicates can be generally divided into light and dark silicates. The dark silicates are also called ferromagnesian because of the presence of iron and magnesium in them.

Arman Kierst

Teacher

How much silica is in andesite?

Andesite is a gray to black volcanic rock with between about 52 and 63 weight percent silica (SiO2). Andesites are typical for lava domes and stratovolcanoes. Andesite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, containing between about 52 and 63 weight % silica (SiO2).

Ovidia Tuzov

Reviewer

Which is harder granite or basalt?

Granite, much lighter in color than basalt, contains high amounts of quartz. It contains large amounts of quartz in some areas, making it harder to break, even with cleavage.

Tawfiq Arizcun

Reviewer

What type of rock is limestone?

sedimentary rock

Anke Adlerberg

Reviewer

What minerals make up Rhyolite?

What is Rhyolite? Rhyolite is an extrusive igneous rock with a very high silica content. It is usually pink or gray in color with grains so small that they are difficult to observe without a hand lens. Rhyolite is made up of quartz, plagioclase, and sanidine, with minor amounts of hornblende and biotite.

Zoriana Venn

Reviewer

How can you tell if a rock is mafic?

Igneous rocks are classified according to their mineral content:
  1. Ultramafic rocks are dominated by olivine and/or pyroxene.
  2. Mafic rocks are dominated by plagioclase and pyroxene (even if you can't see them with the naked eye) and smaller amounts of olivine.

Mac Piffer

Supporter

What is the most common mineral?

If you consider it as one mineral, feldspar is the most common mineral on earth, and quartz is the second most common. This is especially true when you consider the whole crust (continental plus oceanic).

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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27th March, 2020

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