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felsic and mafic rocks

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: felsic and mafic rocks

Division of igneous rocks on the basis of their silicate mineral content, these minerals usually being the most abundant in such rocks. Rocks are described as felsic, intermediate, mafic, and ultramafic, in order of decreasing silica content, and, in general, the gradation from felsic to mafic corresponds to an increase in colour (i.e., light to dark). Due to the erroneous belief that silica present in rock magmas occurred in the form of silicic acid, high- and low-silica rocks were once known as acid and basic rocks, respectively.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more