0
Mafic rocks are denser than felsic rocks because they contain heavier compounds, minerals and other materials, they are ferromagnesian in composition.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why are felsic rocks melted by mafic magmas but mafic rocks are not melted by felsic magmas?
Felsic rocks have a lower melting point than mafic rocks and felsic magma has a lower temperature. In other words, felsic magma is not hot enough to melt mafic rock while mafic magma is hot enough to melt felsic rock.
How does Felsic magmas different from mafic magmas in color temperate minerals composition and the kind of rock each form?
Mafic lava is less viscous(runnier) than felsic lava due to a lower silica content. This causes non-violent eruptions such as in the Hawaiian Islands. Mafic lava tends to be associated more with interplate volcanism and mid-ocean ridges and produces the rock type known as basalt. (The ocean floor is made of basalt.) Felsic lava is mainly found at convergent zones (areas of colliding plates) and has a high silica and water content which causes the lava to be highly viscous and causes very violent eruptions. This lava produces rhyolite and andesitic rocks. The color of the rocks formed by magmas is a consequence of its composition, mafic magmas are dark colored (Mg-Fe) and felsic magmas are light colored (Feldspars-Si).
Which cools faster mafic or felsic rocks?
mafic because it is-dark colored. Ultramafic - no light colored mineral which means it it attracts most heat from a volcano taking it longer to cool down from the lighter, in between substance known as felsic :D
Is mauna loa mafic or felsic?
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens produced dacite, which has an intermediate-felsic composition.
How does mafic lava turn into felsic lava?
Mafic lava, before cooling, has a low viscosity, in comparison to felsic lava, due to the lower silica content in mafic magma. Water and other volatiles can more easily and gradually escape from mafic lava, so eruptions of volcanoes made of mafic lavas are less explosively violent than felsic lava eruptions. Most mafic lava volcanoes are oceanic volcanoes, like Hawaii.Felsic is a term used in geology to refer to silicate minerals, magmas, and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium. The term combines the words "feldspar" and "silica." Felsic minerals are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite, orthoclase, and the sodium-rich plagioclase feldspars. The most common felsic rock is granite. On the opposite side of the rock spectrum are the iron and magnesium-rich mafic and ultramafic minerals and rocks.There are a few means by which felsic magma can be generated from mafic magma. Felsic materials have lower melting points than mafic materials and so will tend to melt first during partial melting. This can shift composition to something more felsic. Another process is called fractional crystalization. Here, more mafic material crystallizes and settles out of a magma chamber, making the remaining molten material more felsic. Finally, as mafic magma moves though continental crust, which is generally felsic in composition, it incorporates some of the rock and becomes more felsic.
Why are felsic rocks melted by mafic magmas but mafic rocks are not melted by felsic magmas?
Felsic rocks have a lower melting point than mafic rocks and felsic magma has a lower temperature. In other words, felsic magma is not hot enough to melt mafic rock while mafic magma is hot enough to melt felsic rock.
What minerals are present in felsic rocks and mafic rocks?
Felsic refers to igneous rocks that are relatively high in silica and aluminum. Mafic refers to igneous rocks that are higher in magnesium and iron than felsic rocks.
What is the difference in density in mafic rocks in relation to felsic rocks?
Mafic rocks, such as those found in the oceanic crust, are more dense than the felsic rocks found in the continental crust.
Why are mafic minerals dark in color?
No. Felsic rocks are light-colored and high in silica. Mafic rocks are generally dark-colored and low in silica.
How does Felsic magmas different from mafic magmas in color temperate minerals composition and the kind of rock each form?
Mafic lava is less viscous(runnier) than felsic lava due to a lower silica content. This causes non-violent eruptions such as in the Hawaiian Islands. Mafic lava tends to be associated more with interplate volcanism and mid-ocean ridges and produces the rock type known as basalt. (The ocean floor is made of basalt.) Felsic lava is mainly found at convergent zones (areas of colliding plates) and has a high silica and water content which causes the lava to be highly viscous and causes very violent eruptions. This lava produces rhyolite and andesitic rocks. The color of the rocks formed by magmas is a consequence of its composition, mafic magmas are dark colored (Mg-Fe) and felsic magmas are light colored (Feldspars-Si).
Does rhyolite have a more mafic composition than basalt?
Rhyolite is not a mafic rock, but a felsic rock, high in silicates, and similar to granite in composition.
Does continental lithosphere contain more mafic rocks than oceanic lithosphere?
No continental lithosphere contains more felsic rocks than oceanic lithosphere.
Which cools faster mafic or felsic rocks?
mafic because it is-dark colored. Ultramafic - no light colored mineral which means it it attracts most heat from a volcano taking it longer to cool down from the lighter, in between substance known as felsic :D
Between mafic lava and felsic lava which flowsfaster?
Mafic lava is hotter than felsic lava and therefore flows faster.
Is mauna loa mafic or felsic?
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens produced dacite, which has an intermediate-felsic composition.
What is the lithosphere made of mafic or felsic?
Its made up of both. Oceanic crust is mostly mafic magma (basalt) and continental crust is mafic and felsic. The lithosphere also contains the upper portion of the upper mantle which is mostly mafic. The earths crust is 60% Si02 (silicates). Felsic rocks are much more silicate heavy than mafic. So one would assume that the crust is more felsic than mafic. That's just my conceptual thought process so don't take me on my word. Then again, the lithosphere also contains the upper mantle which is heavily mafic. So maybe the lithosphere in total is more mafic? Basically just typing thoughts down as they enter my brain. Answer I know for certain- Lithosphere is mafic and felsic.
Is Tuff mafic or felsic?
Pumice is more related to a textural feature, rather than a compositional attribute. For example, pumice originates when there are enough dissolved gases in the magma, such that when it is ejected from the volcano, the depressurization of the dissolved gases causes a rapid expansion as the gases exsolve (just like when you open a pop - the gases are initially under pressure, and you release that pressure by opening the can or bottle). The rapid change in temperature, from hundreds to thousands of degrees to the temperature of of the surrounding environment, causes a rapid cooling effect, whereby the expanding gases are frozen in place. These two factors are what give pumice its distinctive texture and ability to float when placed in water, as opposed to other volcanic rocks (such as scoria).Whether or not the pumice is felsic (light in color) or mafic (dark in color) depends on its chemical composition and therefore, pumice can be both felsic or mafic depending on its parental magma.General classification as to whether a rock is felsic or mafic is with regards to the silicate content of the rock as follows:felsic < 69% SiO2Intermediate Felsic 63 - 69% SiO2Intermediate 52- 63% SiO2Mafic < 52% SiO2Ultra Mafic < SiO2This said, felsic pumice (white or light tan brown colors) are more common to find than mafic pumice.
