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Felsic. In geology, felsic is a modifier describing igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz. [1] It is contrasted with mafic rocks, which are relatively richer in magnesium and iron. Felsic refers to silicate minerals, magma, and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen ...
Archean felsic volcanic rocks are felsic volcanic rocks that were formed in the Archean Eon (4 to 2.5 billion years ago). [2] The term "felsic" means that the rocks have silica content of 62–78%. [3] Given that the Earth formed at ~4.5 billion year ago, [4] Archean felsic volcanic rocks provide clues on the Earth's first volcanic activities ...
The Acasta Gneiss Complex, also called the Acasta Gneiss, is a body of felsic to ultramafic Archean basement rocks, gneisses, that form the northwestern edge of the Slave Craton in the Northwest Territories, Canada, about 300 km (190 mi) north of Yellowknife, Canada. This geologic complex consists largely of tonalitic and granodioritic gneisses ...
It is an igneous rock. [6] Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium. It is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows. These flows have a high content of silica, granting them a high viscosity.
The quartz percentage among felsic minerals in TTG rocks is usually larger than 20% but less than 60%. [1] In tonalite and trondhjemite, more than 90% of the feldspars are plagioclase, while in granodiorite, this number is between 65% and 90%. [1] Trondhjemite is a special kind of tonalite, with most of the plagioclase in the rock being ...
Had. The Archean Eon (IPA: / ɑːrˈkiːən / ar-KEE-ən, also spelled Archaean or Archæan), in older sources sometimes called the Archaeozoic, is the second of the four geologic eons of Earth 's history, preceded by the Hadean Eon and followed by the Proterozoic. The Archean represents the time period from 4,031 to 2,500 Mya (millions of ...
Shield volcanoes are found wherever fluid, low- silica lava reaches the surface of a rocky planet. However, they are most characteristic of ocean island volcanism associated with hot spots or with continental rift volcanism. [1] They include the largest active volcanoes on Earth, such as Mauna Loa.
Earth's crustal evolution. Surface map of oceanic crust showing the generation of younger (red) crust and eventual destruction of older (blue) crust. This demonstrates the crustal spatial evolution at the Earth's surface dictated by plate tectonics. Earth's crustal evolution involves the formation, destruction and renewal of the rocky outer ...