Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Felsic

Felsic is a term used in geology to refer to silicate minerals, magmas, and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements, such as silica and oxygen, aluminum, 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, biotite, muscovite mica, hornblende and the orthoclase feldspars. The most common felsic rock is granite.

On the opposite side of rock spectrum are "mafic" rocks.

Rock TextureName of Felsic Rock
PegmatiticGranite pegmatite
Coarse grained (phaneritic)Granite
Coarse grained and porphyriticPorphyritic granite
Fine grained (aphanitic)Rhyolite
Fine grained and porphyriticPorphyritic rhyolite
PyroclasticRhyolitic tuff or breccia
VesicularNone
AmygdaloidalNone
Many small vesiclesPumice
GlassyObsidian

See also: List of minerals