Want this question answered?
Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling and hardening of molten material called magma.
Igneous rocks are formed deep inside Earth's crust (intrusive rocks) or at the surface (extrusive rocks). As molten rock (known as magma) below the surface cools, the liquid material begins to solidify into minerals of differing sizes and compositions. Generally, the longer the cooling time, the larger the mineral crystals can grow.
Any rock created by the cooling of magma or molten material is classified as an igneous rock. These rocks can either be cooled in the earth or on the earths surface. Rocks cooled inside the earth are called intrusive igneous rocks, and have large crystals. Rocks cooled on the earth's surface are called extrusive igneous rocks. These rocks, due to faster cooling times, have very very tiny crystals.
Mantle rock, usually fed by subducting crusts at destructive plate boundaries, melt under the heat, creating magma (or igneous melt). This magma is usually less dense than the surrounding (country) rock and so rises to or near the surface, forming igneous rocks in two ways: 1) The rock does not reach the surface, but cools and crystallises inside the Earth, creating INTRUSIVE igneous rocks. These usually have large crystals as they cool more slowly due to the hot surrounding temperatures. 2) The rock reaches the surface via volcanic or fissure eruptions as lava, and cools and crystallises very quickly on the earth's surface forming EXTRUSIVE igneous rocks. These have fine crystals due to the quick cooling time and colder surrounding temperatures.
the cooling and solidification of molten magma or lava. This process occurs either underneath the Earth's surface, resulting in intrusive igneous rocks, or on the surface, leading to extrusive igneous rocks. The rate of cooling determines the texture and crystal size of the rock, with slower cooling allowing for larger crystals to form.
Igneous rocks are one of the 3 main type of rocks, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Igneous rocks are formed from the cooling of lava and magma. There are over 700 kinds of igneous rocks, and most are found beneath the surface of the Earth's crust.
Igneous rocks are formed by lava or magma cooling
Igneous rock forms from the cooling of molten material called magma or lava.
Cooling rate of molten rock
Rocks formed by the cooling and solidifying of molten materials.
It doesn't necessarily matter what the minerals are, as long as they form from cooling magma or lava. Igneous rocks are formed by the solidification of cooled magma (molten rock). They may form with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks.
An igneous rock has crystallized and solidified from molten rock (magma) either below ground (intrusive igneous rock) or at or near the surface (extrusive igneous rock). Igneous rocks are composed of minerals.