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Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta -igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are usually composed of greater than 90% mafic minerals (dark colored, high magnesium and iron content).
Peridotite. Peridotite (US: / ˈpɛrɪdoʊˌtaɪt, pəˈrɪdə -/ PERR-ih-doh-tyte, pə-RID-ə-) is a dense, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. Peridotite is ultramafic, as the rock contains less than 45% silica. It is high in magnesium (Mg 2+), reflecting the high proportions of ...
Mafic rocks have a relatively low silica content and are composed mostly of pyroxenes, olivines and calcic plagioclase. These rocks (basalt, gabbro) are usually dark coloured, and have a higher density than felsic rocks. Ultramafic rock is very low in silica, with more than 90% of mafic minerals (komatiite, dunite).
Gabbro (/ ˈɡæbroʊ / GAB-roh) is a phaneritic (coarse-grained and magnesium- and iron-rich), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth 's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is chemically equivalent to rapid-cooling, fine-grained basalt.
Magmatism. Geological map showing the Gangdese batholith, which is a product of magmatic activity about 100 million years ago. Magmatism is the emplacement of magma within and at the surface of the outer layers of a terrestrial planet, which solidifies as igneous rocks. It does so through magmatic activity or igneous activity, the production ...
A metamorphic zone is the region between two such easily recognizable isograds. Often they are named for the most characteristic index mineral of the zone. Whether a certain index mineral occurs is also dependent on the composition of the rock itself. Many index minerals have complicated chemical compositions.
Partial melting is the phenomenon that occurs when a rock is subjected to temperatures high enough to cause certain minerals to melt, but not all of them. Partial melting is an important part of the formation of all igneous rocks and some metamorphic rocks (e.g., migmatites), as evidenced by a multitude of geochemical, geophysical and petrological studies.
Ultrapotassic igneous rocks. Ultrapotassic igneous rocks are a class of rare, volumetrically minor, generally ultramafic or mafic silica-depleted igneous rocks. While there are debates on the exact classifications of ultrapotassic rocks, they are defined by using the chemical screens K 2 O/Na 2 O > 3 in much of the scientific literature. [1]