IGNEOUS ACTIVITY, FORMATION OF

IGNEOUS ROCKS AND

CLASSIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCKS
 Igneous Activity
What is Magma (Lava) ? Magma is rich with Si, O2 and
Magma is a mixture of metals like K,Na,Ca,Mg and Al
molten or semi- and gases like CO2, SO2, and H2O
molten rock ,found beneath
the Earth surface, rising
through an irruption of
volcano.
Temperatures of most
magmas are in the range
700 C to 1300 C.
 Cont..
Volcanic irruption can take place on land as
well as on sea bed.
There are two types of irruptions viz;
Fissure irruptions and
Central irruptions
In a fissure irruption lava issues quietly with
little gas emition through a fissure in earth
crust.
 Cont..
This lava spread over large area and form
igneous rocks by cooling and solidification.
Active fissures with hot lava still can be
observed in Iceland.
Vast Basalt plateau in India (1000000 Km2
and 1800m thick) believed to be formed by
this mechanisum.
Central Eruption.
Central eruption is a eruption of volcano.
Volcano has a cone with summit crater
connected to a volcanic pipe.
Some have large flat cones formed by
successive flow of lava and a large pit called
Caldera.
 Cont..
Lava, gases, ash, and broken rock fragments
are ejected through the volcanic pipe with
explosive violence.
Examples of violent eruptions
St. Helens volcano in USA in year 1980
Mount Loa in Hawaii, has an elliptical summit
caldera of 5.6km long and 3km wide
 Cont

Caldera
Volcanic irruption
 Forming of Igneous Rock
Igneous rocks are formed by coling and
solidification of molten magma rising from
volcano.
Solidification of magma could be taken place
within the earth interior too without ejecting
out
in Dykes, sills, Batholiths, Laccoliths etc..
 Classification of Igneous Rocks
Igneous rocks are classified in to two types as;
Extrusive Igneous rocks or Volcanic Rock
Where solidification was taken place on surface
And
Intrusive Igneous rocks
Where solidification was taken place within the
earth interior.
 Cont..
Intrusive rocks are further sub classified
depending on the size of intrusion as;
Major Intrusive igneous rock (Plutonic rock)
Solidified in Batholiths, Stocks and Bosses
(Comparatively large volume)
and
Minor Intrusive Igneous rock
Solidified in Dykes and Sills
 Intrusions
Batholith Dike
 Classification cont..
Various criteria and methods used in
classifying of igneous rocks
Minerals Present in the Rock
Texture of the Rock and Color.
Chemical Composition.
International Union of Geological Sciences(IUGS)
proposed a method ie. chemical classification of
volcanic rocks (based on total alkalies [Na2O +
K2O] vs. SiO2)
 Cont..
General Chemical Classifications based on SiO2 (Silica)
Content
> 66 wt. % - Acid
52-66 wt% - Intermediate
45-52 wt% - Basic
< 45 wt % - Ultra basic
This terminology is based on the idea that SiO2 was
considered as the salt of silicic acid H4SiO4 and more
silica called acid.
Although this concept has long been abandoned, the
acid/base terminology is well established in the
literature.
Classification based on mineral
composition

Mineral Composition

Names of extrusive rocks

Names of intrusive rocks

 Common Igneous rocks
Name of Rock Clasification Grain Structure Mineral content Colour Strength properties Usage Remarks
Fine grained , Massive Feldspar Excellent As concrete SevereWeathering
Acidic Plutonic to crustaline Feldspar, Quartz, Colour foiundation aggtigate, convert to Sand and
Granite Rock form Mica white ro dark Material Road aggregate Kaolin (China Clay)

Minor intusuve Coarse grained

Pegmatite rock (solidified in dykes)
Main - Fedspar &
Pyroxene
Basic Plutonic Coarse grained Olivine, Hornblende Construction
Gabbro rock Biotite etc Dark coloured Very Hard Stone
Medium to fine grained
Basic Plutonic solidified in dikes ans
Dolerite rock sills Plegeoclase Dark coloured Most abundent
Basic Volcanic Fine grained Feldspar Construction (85%)
Basalt rock partly glassy and Augit Hard Rock Stone extrusive rock
Glassy highly vesicular
Acidic Volcanic (Spongy) structure Light weight
Pumice Rock No crystals at all Little or No Quartz Spongy concrete Float on water
Contain
Comoact some time Plageoclase,Hornble Occurs abundently in
Intermediate vesicular nde, Biotite and Andes region in
Andesite volcanic rock fine grained Augit South America
Volcanic Breccia and Tuff
Consolidation of large fragments ejected
during an irruption with dust and ash forms
the rock known as Volcanic Agglomerates or
Volcanic Breccia. (This rock some times
treated as a sedimentary rock also)
Small particles of ash and dust blown by wind
and deposited become hardened in to rock
known as Tuffs
Forming of Diamond
A rear volcanic effect is the production of
Diamonds.
They are formed under enormous heat and
pressure 150 km down in mantle.
Diamond bearing Kimberlite is the forced up
from their by volcanic pipes.
Original sinked heavy metals also come out
and solidify with lava as ores.
THE END

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