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Andesite (/ ˈ æ n d ə z aɪ t /) [1] is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica -poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite . It is fine-grained ( aphanitic ) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predominantly of sodium-rich plagioclase plus pyroxene or hornblende .
Mount Karioi and Mount Pirongia, near Raglan and Kawhia Harbours, are large stratovolcanoes composed of andesite and basalt, that erupted about 2.5 Ma ago. Other volcanoes in this group include Kakepuku, Te Kawa, and Tokanui. Maungatautari, west of Te Awamutu, is a volcano, composed of andesite and dacite, that erupted about 1.8 Ma.
Plutonism is the geologic theory that the igneous rocks forming the Earth originated from intrusive magmatic activity, with a continuing gradual process of weathering and erosion wearing away rocks, which were then deposited on the sea bed, re-formed into layers of sedimentary rock by heat and pressure, and raised again.
Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and metamorphic rocks and constitute an important element of some sediments and sedimentary rocks .
Andesite and basaltic andesite are the most abundant volcanic rock in island arc which is indicative of the calc-alkaline magmas. Some island arcs have distributed volcanic series as can be seen in the Japanese island arc system where the volcanic rocks change from tholeiite—calc-alkaline—alkaline with increasing distance from the trench.
During the Miocene, andesite, basalt and volcaniclastic rocks erupted as the Pacific Plate subducted beneath Alaska and the Yukon. The Ruby Range suite pluton formed the core of the Coast Plutonic Complex with tonalite and granodiorite between 64 and 56 million years ago, with significant copper-molybdenum porphyry and epithermal mineralization.
Basaltic andesite from Parícutin volcano in Mexico. Basaltic andesite is a volcanic rock that is intermediate in composition between basalt and andesite. It is composed predominantly of augite and plagioclase. Basaltic andesite can be found in volcanoes around the world, including in Central America [1] and the Andes of South America. [2]
The presence of pillow lavas in the oldest preserved volcanic sequences on the planet, the Isua and Barberton greenstone belts, confirms the presence of large bodies of water on the Earth's surface early in the Archean Eon. Pillow lavas are used generally to confirm subaqueous volcanism in metamorphic belts.