Class If

GEOL 2020: Introduction to Petrology: Igneous Petrology - Classification 1
CLASSIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCKS: THE IUGS SCHEME
“Many and peculiar are the classifications that have been proposed for igneous rocks. Their variability
depends in part upon the purpose for which each was intended, and in part from the character of the rocks
themselves. The trouble is not with the classifications but with nature which did not make things right.”
(Johannsen, 1931, p. 51)
I. Introduction
1. classification schemes are designed to provide a rock vocabulary for geologists
a) that is, all geologists will understand what you are talking about when you mention a particular
rock name
b) for example,gabbo implies a rock with essential plagioclase and clinopyroxene, it is generally
dark in color, fairly dense and plutonic in origin
c) without a classification scheme, we would have to describe all of these features every time we
discussed our undefinedgabbro
2. because they aregradational into each other, igneous rocks are difficult to classify
3. ideally, the best classification schemes are timeless, i.e. they are based on characteristics of the rock
that do not change
a) consequently, genetic classification schemes are not very good
(1) this is because the interpretation of igneous rocks changes with time and the name of the
rock might change as well
4. in general, the three basic ways to classify igneous rocks are by:
a) their modal mineralogy, i.e. minerals physically present in the rock
(1) since they are 100% crystalline, this approach works particularly well for plutonic rocks
(2) because volcanic rocks contain only 0 to 50% phenocrysts, they may be classified on only a
relatively small proportion of the rock
b) their chemistry or normative mineralogy
(1) this is most commonly used for fine-grained volcanic rocks
(2) the major disadvantages of this approach are that it requires a chemical analysis for every
rock to be classified and it cannot be used in the field
c) tectonic setting
(1) this system requires knowledge of the origin or geologic setting of the rock
(2) this procedure is most accurate for young rocks whose tectonic setting is well known
(3) the reliability of this system of classification decreases as the age of the rock being classified
increases
5. because of the chemical similarity between volcanic and plutonic rocks, each volcanic rock has a
plutonic equivalent and vice versa
II. The IUGS Classification Scheme
A. Historical Background
1. the classification of igneous rocks has long been a topic of discussion among petrographers and
petrologists
2. in 1964, AlbertStreckeisen (1964) published an international review article outlining the problems
of the then current classification schemes, made a provisional proposal for a classification system
and solicited comment
a) this article started the process by which the International Union of Geological Sciences, through
a twenty-one year period, would eventually propose a new igneous classification scheme
3. a discussion of the response to this article was publishedStrieckeisen
by (1965)
a) continued response lead to the proposal of a detailed classification scheme Strieckeisen (1967)
27-Feb-96 J. D. Myers
4. subsequent to this proposal, the IUGS established a working group to examine the question of
classification
a) set the initial discussions for the International Geological Congress in Prague in 1968
b) political developments were to prevent this initial meeting but the subject was not dropped
5. at this point, aSubcommission on the Systematics of Igneous Rocks was formed
a) began work in May of 1970
6. by 1972, the double QAPF triangle using modal mineralogy as the primary characteristic for
classification was adopted for plutonic rocks
a) a special commission reported its recommendations for the charnockitic rocks in 1974
b) a scheme for the pyroclastic rocks was reported in 1981 Schmid,
( 1981)
7. completion of these projects left the thorny question of how to deal with the volcanic rocks
a) the subcommission agreed to base classification on modes if available and onTotal the Alkalis-
Silica (TAS) diagram if they weren'tLe( Bas et al., 1986)
b) in 1988, a scheme for dealing with high-Mg rocks was discussed and added to the existing
volcanic classification scheme
B. Principles
1. for the purpose of classification, the
subcommission defined volcanic and plutonic rocks in the
following manner:
a) plutonic rock is igneous rock withphaneritic texture, i.e. coarse-grained enough so individual
crystals can be distinguished with the naked eye
(1) presumed to have formed at depth
b) igneous rocks withaphanitic textures (too fine-grained to identify minerals with unaided eye)
are termedvolcanic rocks
(1) presumed to have been associated with volcanic activity
(2) may have been erupted on surface or intruded at high levels as sills, dikes, plugs, etc.
2. rocks should be classified as to what they are not what they may once have been
3. primary means of classification is mineral contentor mode
C. Modal Parameters
1. for classification purposes, the modal minerals are divided into five groups whose volume modal
proportions must be determined
2. these groups are:
group modal minerals
Q quartz, tridymite,cristobalite
A alkali feldspar, including orthoclase,
microcline,perthite, anorthoclase,sanidine andalbite
(An0-5)
P plagioclase (An>5), antipertihite andscapolite (?)
F feldspapthoids/foids, includingnepheline,leucite,kalsilite,pseudoleucite,sodalite,nosean,
hauyne, cancrinite,analcime
M mafic and related minerals:pyroxene, olivine, mica, amphibole, opaque minerals,epidote,
allanite, garnet,melilite,monticellite, primary carbonate, accessory minerals (e.g. zircon,
apatite, sphene, etc.)
1.
2.
3. the felsic minerals comprise groups Q, A, P and F whereas the
mafic minerals form the M group
4. for any given rock, these five groups must sum to 100 %
a) however, because Q and F are chemically incompatible mineral groups, only four groups can
have non-zero values
b) because the different classification schemes used for different types of rocks do not employ all
five groups simultaneously,, the modal minerals used for classification are normalized to 100
and the rock plotted within one of the diagrams
(1) consequently, the normalized mineral abundances used for plotting purposes are generally
greater than the actual modal proportions
5. although the majority of the minerals in the mafic group are dark in color, some are not
a) consequently, M does not equate with color index
b) in this scheme color index, M', is defined in the following manner:
M' = M − amphibole − zircon − sec ondary carbonate
c) that is the mafic mineral group minus the colorless constituents of the group
d) using this parameter, we can define four terms useful in indicating the relative proportions of
dark minerals in an igneous rock
(1) note these terms apply to rocks not minerals
M' adjective
0-35 leuocratic
35-65 mesocratic
65-90 melanocratic
90-100 ultramafic
A. Nomenclature
1. because of the complexities of igneous rocks, the IUGS classification scheme is designed to assign
a root name to a particular rock
a) the use of additional qualifiers allows the specialist to provide a more specific description of any
individual rock
2. these additional terms can be:
a) mineral names, e.g. hornblende gabbro;
b) textural terms, e.g. porphyritic granodiorite;
c) chemical terms, e.g. hi-Mg basalt;
d) genetic terms, e.g.anatectic granites;
e) tectonic terms, e.g. post-
orogenic granite; or
f) any other qualifier the user deems appropriate
3. guidelines for the use of modifiers include:
a) modifier can not contradict the root name, e.g. quartz-free granite
b) if they are not self-explanatory, the user must define the qualifiers, e.g. what constitutes
Sr- a
rich basalt?
c) when using more than one mineral qualifier, they are arranged in order of increasing abundance
with the most abundant immediately adjacent the root name
d) suffix (mineral)-bearing can be used to denote the presence of an important accessory mineral
(1) unfortunately, the threshold values for the use of the term are not consistent from one rock
group to another
(2) common definition are as follows
group term upper limit

QAP quartz-bearing <5%
APF foid-bearing < 10 %
ultramafic plagioclase-bearing < 10 %
volcanic glass-bearing < 20 %
(1) abundance of glass in volcanic rocks, denoted glass-rich

by if the rock contains 20-50 %
glass andglassy for those rocks with 50-80 % glass
(a) more glassy rocks are identified by special names, obsidian, pitchstones, etc.
(2) unusually fine-grained plutonic rocks are identified by the prefixmicro except for a few
special cases where older, established terms have been retained
(3) if a rock has been metamorphosed but its original nature can be still determined, the prefix
meta is used to indicate the metamorphic overprinting
II. Using the Classification Scheme
1. because of the diversity of igneous rocks, no single system will apply to all rocks
a) for example, we cannot classify felsic and mafic rocks using the same modal parameters
2. thus, the proposed classification scheme is, in fact, a combination of different classification
procedures appropriate for different groups of rocks
a) the investigator must, therefore, make a decision as to which classification scheme is
appropriate for the rock of interest
3. so that different geologists will arrive at the same name for a given rock, the classification must be
done in a consistent manner
a) under this scheme, the special or rarer rocks are classified first
b) anything that is not "special" will therefore be classified as volcanic or plutonic
4. the manner in which this is accomplished is illustrated by the flow chart on the next page
a) if the rock was formed by disruption as the direct result of volcanic action, the rock should be
classified aspyroclastic
b) the rock is considered acarbonatite, if it contains greater than 50 % primary carbonate
c) lamprophyric rocks are recognized next in this scheme
d) when a rock contains more than 10 % modal melilite, it is considered a member of themelilitic
rocks and classified accordingly
e) if the rock containshpyersthene (orfayalite and quartz) andperthite, mesoperthite or
antiperthite, it belongs thethe charnockitic class
f) at this point, it is necessary to assign the rock to the
plutonic or volcanic classes based on
whether they arephaneritic or not
5. because they are more abundant geologically, we will actually begin our discussion of this
classification scheme with the plutonic rocks and proceed backward through the flow chart
a) in particular, we will start with the mafic and ultramafic plutonic rocks
PLUTONIC ROCKS
I. Introduction
1. ultramafic rocks are defined as those with M greater than 90
a) these rocks generally consist of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, hornblende, sometimes

biotite
b) they also generally contain small amounts of garnet and spinel
2. a second class of related rocks consists of themafic rocks
a) these rocks contain the similar modal mineral assemblages but they contain significant amounts
of a felsic component, generally plagioclase
b) in an earlier version of the IUGS classification scheme, these rocks were defined as having M
greater than 70
3. in general, these two groups can be divided into an anhydrous group that lacks hornblende and a
hydrous group that contains hornblende
a) thus, the first group is classified using the mafic minerals olivine-orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene
b) for the second group, the pyroxenes are not divided and the classification is based on the
proportions of olivine-pyroxene-hornblende
4. because these phases are generally associated with plagioclase, ultramafic and mafic rocks are
conveniently defined using this phase plus the other three mafic phases
a) since a convenient way of displaying four components is the tetrahedron, we can illustrate the
various mafic and ultramafic rocks using two tetrahedra
5. being defined as having M > 90, the ultramafic rocks occupy the bottom portions of these two
diagrams
6. rocks that contain greater than 90 % plagioclase are calledanorthosites
a) thus, they lie at the upper part of the
tetrahedra
7. with ultramafic rocks occupying the bottom of
the tetrahedra and anorthosites the tops, it is
clear that the major parts of these fields are
occupied by the mafic rocks
a) because the amount of plagioclase present in
the mafic rocks varies considerably (10-90
%) and its abundance is not specified by the
mafic rock name, two terms have been
defined as prefixes for the rock name
(1) above 65% plagioclase, the rock name is
Figure 1: Tetrahedrons used to describe
given the prefixleuco anhydrous (left) and hydrous (right) mafic and
(2) below 35% plagioclase, a rock name is ultramafic rocks.
modified by the termmela
b) although these terms are similar to lecuocratic andmelacratic defined earlier, they are not strictly
the same
(1) the other terms refer to the amount of mafic minerals in the rock, i.e. <35% leucocratic
is and
greater than 65 ismelaocractic
(2) the way they are defined here is a historical artifact but still quite useful
B. Ultramafic Rocks
1. ultramafic rocks contain few modal minerals (<10%) other than the mafic phases olivine, pyroxene
plus or minus hornblende
a) consequently, they lie near the base of the
pl-cpx-opx-ol andpl-pyx-ol-hbl
tetrahedras
2. the various types of anhydrous ultramafic
rocks are defined by their position in the ol-
cpx-opx base of the anhydrous tetrahedra
3. based on the abundance of modal olivine,
ultramafic rocks are divided into two
important subclasses
a) perioditites contain more than 40 %
olivine whereaspyroxenites have less than
this amount
4. within theperiotite field, four rock types are
recognized
a) dunite: > 90 % olivine
b) harzburgite: olivine + orthopyroxene
c) wehrlite: olivine + clinopyroxene
d) lherzolite: olivine + clinopyroxene + Figure 2: Pl-ol-cpx-opxtetrahedra showing the
orthopyroxene division between mafic and ultramafic rocks.
5. in the pyroxenite field, there are six important
rock types that have been defined
a) olivine orthopyroxenite: olivine < orthopyroxene
b) websterite: clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene
c) olivine websterite: olivine < orthopyroxene + clinopyroxen
d) olivine clinoproxenite: olivine < clinopyroxene
e) orthopryoxenite: orothopyroxene > 90 %
f) clinopryoxenite: clinopyroxene > 90 %
(1) pyroxeneites of nearlymonomineralic nature can be further identified by the composition or
texture of the dominantpyroxene
(2) orthopyroxenites:enstatitite, bronzitite,hypersthenite
(3) clinopyroxenites:diopsidite,dillage
6. since they can contain 10 % other modal minerals, ultramafic rocks can extend up into the
tetrahedra to 10% plagioclase
a) within this region, ultramafic rocks are refered to asplagioclase-bearing
7. when hornblende is an important modal mineral, the ultramafic rocks are defined using ol-pl-
the
pyx-hbl tetrahedra
a) in the periodite field, i.e. greater than 40 % olivine, the type of peridotite is not distinguished
(1) instead the root name peridotite is used andititmodified using a mineral qualifier
(2) along the hornblende-olivine join, the rock ishornblende
a peridotite
(a) within the normallherzolite field, the

rocks are eitherpyroxene hornblende
peridotite or hornblende pyroxene
peridotite depending upon which side
of the 50:50pyroxene-hornblende join
they lie
b) below 40 % olivine, the field is divided into
pyroxenites to the left of the 50:50 line and
hornblendites to the right
c) these root names are modified with olivine
and eitherpyroxene or hornblende
(1) note that because olivine is less than 40 %
of the rock, it will always precede the other
mineral in the abundance order
8. important accessory minerals in ultramafic rocks
includespinel and garnet
a) if garnet orspinel is less than or equal to 5 %,
garnet-bearing or spinel-bearing is placed Figure 3: Diagrams for classifying ultramafic
in front of the rock name, e.g. garnet-bearing and mafic plutonic rocks.
peridotite
b) for more than 5 % garnet orspinel, the name
of the mineral is used in front of the rock name, e.g. garnet peridotite
9. except fordunites, most ultramafic rocks do not have volcanic equivalents
a) volcanic counterpart of adunite is apicrite
C. Mafic Rocks
1. in the anhydrousol-cpx-opx-pltetrahedra, the largest volume of the tetrahedra is occupied by mafic
rocks containing between 10 and 90 % plagioclase
a) these rocks form thegabbroic group
2. based on the modal proportions within this part of the tetrahedra, there are six types ofgabbros
defined
a) gabbro (senso stricto): clinopyroxene + plagioclase
b) norite: plagioclase + orthopyroxene
c) troctolite: plagioclase + olivine
d) gabbronorite: plagioclase with almost equal amounts of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene
e) orthopyroxene gabbro: plagioclase + clinopyroxene with minor orthopyroxene
f) clinopyroxene norite: orthopyroxene + plagioclase with minor clinopyroxene
g) not shown in this diagram is the hornblende gabbro, which consists of plagioclase +
hornblende with less than 5 % pyroxene
3. gabbroic rocks also have the distinction that their plagioclase is more calcic than An50
a) mafic rocks with moresodic plagioclase arediorites
4. they often have abundant modal biotite and/or hornblende
a) the presence of these accessory minerals is identified by the appropriate mineral modifiers
5. if they are fine-grained,gabbros are calleddiabase or dolerite
6. because of their unusual mineralogy, the alkali gabbros are not easily shown on the pl-opx-cpx-pl
tetrahedra
a) these rocks can be divided into three groups based on the absence or presence of feldspathoids
and unusualsodic phases,e.g sodic pyroxenes or amphiboles
(1) if alkali feldspar is present with olivine and
augite, i.e. the magma had sufficient silica to
crystallize these common silicates, two rock types are possible:
(a) if alkali feldspar equals plagioclase, the rock iskentallenite

a
(b) when alkali feldspar is dominant, the rock isshonskinite,
a which may or may not
contain minornepheline
(2) if the alkalis are very much greater than silica, the crystallizing magma would have
exhausted its silica before the alkalis and the rock will contain modal
nepheline (> 10%),
aegerine-augite andNa amphibole with or without olivine
(a) essexite: both feldspars present
(b) malignite: mostly alkali feldspar
(3) when feldspars are absent, modal nepheline is abundant andaegerine-augite orsodic
amphibole occurs, a relatively rare class of rocks
occurs
(a) these gabbroic rocks are defined based on their
color index:
(i) color index 0-30:urtite
(ii) color index 30-70:ijolite
(iii)color index 70-95:meltiogite
(iv)color index 95-100:jacupieangite
II. QAPF Double Triangle
A. Overview
1. plutonic rocks with only a small percentage of mafic
minerals are classified using the four major felsic mineral
groups (Q, A, P, F)
2. the percentages of these minerals are plotted in a double
triangle with the feldspar join as the common boundary
a) this is called theStriekeisen diagram or the QAPF
double triangle
3. for classification, the modal amounts of Q, A, P and F
must be known
a) these quantities are then normalized to 100 %
4. because mafic minerals are not considered, they must be
only a small percentage of the rock
5. lines radiating from the Q and F apices delimit rocks with
constant alkalifeldpar to plagioclase ratio
6. the feldspathoidal apex groups allfoid minerals together,
e.g. leucite,nepheline, etc.
(1) within the triangle FAP, the rock types are Figure 4: Double triangle used to classify
idenified by the majorfeldspathoidal mineral plutonic rocks with M less than 90.
present
7. within both of these triangles, the prefixes leuco andmela may be used to designate rocks more
felsic (lower color index) and mafic (higher color index) than the normal varities
a) although the boundaries will actually vary with specific rock type, good approximations are:
(1) leuco: Q or F greater than 65
(2) mela: Q or F less than 35
B. Silica saturated and oversaturated rocks - the QAP triangle

1. silica saturated and oversaturated rocks are those that
occur on the quartz side of the feldspar join in the QAP
triangle
a) within this group, different rock types are defined
based on the alkali feldspar/plagioclase ratio and the
quartz content
2. five rock types occur along the feldspar join and contain
0-5% quartz
a) at the plagioclase end, three rock types occupy the
same field
(1) rocks without many mafic minerals and
composed of almost solely plagioclase are
anorthosites
(2) if mafic minerals, e.g.augite, olivine, biotite, etc.,
are common the rock is gabbro
a or diorite
depending upon the composition of the
plagioclase
b) if alkali feldspar is between 10 and 35%, the rock
names for the more plagioclase-rich varieties are Figure 5: QAPF double triangle showing the
prefixed withmonzo root names for each field.
(1) thus, there aremonzodiorites and
monzogabbros
c) when the two types of feldspars are approximately equal, the rock monzonite
is a
d) syenites contain more alkali feldspar than plagioclase
(1) these rocks often have significant amounts of mafic minerals suchaugite, as aegerine-augite
and sodic amphibole
e) when the alkali feldspar is very much greater than plagioclase, the rock is alkali
an feldspar
syenite
3. between 5 and 20% quartz, the modifier quartz is placed in front of the less siliceous rock name
a) for example, a quartzmonzonite contains between 5 and 20% quartz and about equal amounts
of the two feldspars
b) this leads to eight new rock types, i.e. quartz diorite, quartz gabbro, quartz anorthosite,
quartz monzodiorite, quartz monzogabbro, quartz monzonite, quartz syenite and quartz
alkali feldspar syenite
4. granitic rocks are massive or weakly foliated rocks with color indices of less than 20 and 20 to 60
% modal quartz
a) when alkali feldspar is greater than plagioclase, the rock isalkalian feldspar granite
(1) an alaskite is a holocrystalline but fine-grained rock with very lowmafics and the same
mineral proportions as an alkali granite
b) because they contain a free-silica phase, the rocks in this group are oversaturated
5. the various types ofgranitic rocks include:
a) granites, senso stricto, where alkali feldspar is more abundant than plagioclase
b) granodiorites have plagioclase as the dominant feldspar
(1) typically, the plagioclase isoligoclase ( ) or more rarelyandesine ( )
c) if plagioclase is very much greater than alkali feldspar, the rock tonalite
is a
(1) if the plagioclase is moresodic than An50 and the rock very light-colored (M < 10), the rock
is a trondhjemite
d) mafic minerals ingranitic rocks commonly include augite, hypersthene, biotite and hornblende
6. these names may be modified with the

name of the dominant mafic mineral if
it is present in amounts greater than 5
%
a) when two mafic minerals are
important, the name of the more
abundant mineral is placed closest
to the rock name
(1) for example, hornblende-biotite
granite has more than 5 % of
each of these minerals but
biotite is more abundant
7. in general, igneous plutonic rocks
with greater than 60 % quartz are rare
C. Silica Undersaturated Rocks - the APF
triangle
1. feldspathoidal rocks contain a silica
undersaturated mineral and plot in the
FAP triangle on thefeldspathoidal
side of the feldspar join
a) thus, these rocks are
undersaturated
2. since the presence of even small
amounts of undersaturated minerals is
important, the rock name always
indicates when afeldspathoid is
present Figure 6: Classification scheme for use in the field.
a) conversely for quartz, this is done only if it is present in amounts greater than 5 %
3. thus, for plutonic rocks containing up to 10 feldspathoid,
% the name of thefoid with -bearing is
placed in front of the rock name with the same alkali feldspar/plagioclase ratiosoccuringbut along
the base of the QAP triangle
a) for example, a rock with more alkali feldspar than plagioclase and 3 nepheline
% is anepheline
syenite
4. at greater than 10 %foid, the bearing is dropped and just the foid name used as a modifier
5. between 0 and 10 %feldspathoid, the bottom triangle is divided into fields with the same alkali
feldspar/plagioclase ratios as in the QAP triangle
a) the same names are used for these fields except the root names are modified with the mineral
name of the modalfeldspathoid
6. between 10 and 60 % feldspathoids, the FAP triangle is divided into four major fields
a) on the P-F join, the rocks are foid gabbro or foid diorite with the distinction again based on
plagioclase composition
b) at the opposite side of the triangle, the rocks are classifiedfoidas syenite
c) unlike in the QAP triangle the central part of this region of the APF triangle is divided into only
two fields
(1) when alkali feldspar is greater than plagioclase, the rock is foid
a monzosyenite
d) in the field where plagioclase is greater than alkali feldspar, there are two rock types
distinguished on the basis of familar diorite/gabbro division occur
(1) a foid gabbro contains plagioclase morecalcic than An50
(a) theralites: nephelinegabbro
(b) tschenites: analcimegabbro

(c) foid diorites are characterized by moresodic plagioclase
III. Field Classification Schemes
1. when classifying a plutonic rock in the field, it is often difficult to accurately estimate modal
abundances and sometimes identify the mineral phases
2. consequently, a more general classification scheme can be of use
a) this scheme is designed so that the correct major rock type is identified in the field, but the more
fine pigeon-holing is left to the lab
VOLCANIC ROCKS
I. Introduction
1. after accepting a scheme for the plutonic rocks, the IUGS
Subcommission on the Systematics of the
Systematics of Igneous rocks turned their attention to the classification of volcanic rocks
2. in this scheme, volcanic rocks are classified as those whose mineralogy cannot be determined by the
unaided eye
3. the commission agree that the primary classification of volcanic rocks should be based on modal
mineralogy and that this scheme should be consistent with the QAPF diagram used for plutonic
suites
4. if modes were not available, a chemical means of classification should be used
a) this scheme should, however, be consistent with themineralogically based QAPF diagram
II. Modal Classification
A. Introduction
1. although the general character of the QAFP double triangle remains the same for volcanic and
plutonic rocks some of the boundaries are treated in different ways
2. the most significant change is near the P apex
a) here the major field is enlarged to included up to 20 % quartz or 10feldspathoid
% and the
plagioclase abundance boundary is moved from 90 to 65
3. in the QAP triangle, the area between 65 and 100 % plagioclase is not divided into two fields
4. except for these changes, the two double triangles are identical and the volcanic rock is
distinguished from itsmineralogically
a) each field is given a different name, however, to distinguish it from its plutonic equivalent
5. because they generally contain less than 50% crystals, volcanic rock names are often assigned
based on only a small percentage of the rock
a) for example, consider the case illustrated below
mode normalized
plagioclase 10 22
quartz 27 57
alkali feldspar 10 21
mafic minerals 19 0
matrix 34 0
total: 100 100
A.
B. The QAP Triangle: the saturated and over-saturated rocks
1. rocks with between 20 and 60% quartz are the volcanic equivalentsgranitic of rocks
a) alkali feldspar rhyolites have alkali feldspar as the predominant feldspar and correspond to
alkali feldspar granites
(1) when the rock contains alkali pyroxene and/or amphibole, i.e. it peralkaline,
is it is called an
alkali rhyolite
b) rhyolites are the volcanic equivalent of granite and have alkali feldspar greater than plagioclase
c) a dacite contains more plagioclase than alkali feldspar and has greater than 65 % plagioclase
(1) rhyodacite can be used for rocks transitional between rhyolites anddacites
(2) its field is equivalent to the granodiorite and
tonalite fields of the plutonic diagram
2. along the feldspar join and from 9 to 5 % quartz there are four instead of five fields
a) two rock types,basalt and andesite, occupy the single, expanded plagioclase-rich field
(1) these two rocks are generally distinguished on the basis of their mafic minerals,augite, e.g.
opx, olivine
(2) although basalt is the volcanic equivalent gabbro,
of there is no volcanic counterpart of
diorite
b) latite has an alkali feldspar/plagioclase ratio near one and is the volcanic analog monzonite
of
c) trachytes have more alkali feldspar than plagioclase
(1) important mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene (aegerine-augite), hornblende and sodic
amphibole
(2) when they areperalkaline and contain alkali pyroxenes and/or amphiboles, these rocks can
be calledalkali trachytes
d) plagioclase is relatively minor in alkali feldspar trachytes
(1) the mineralogically equivalent plutonic rock is an alkali feldspar syenite
3. if the rock has between 5 and 20% quartz, it is given the same name as a rock with the same alkali
feldspar/plagioclase ratio but lower quartz
a) to document the higher quartz content, the rock name is given the modifier quartz, e.g. quartz
latite
C. The APF Triangle: the undersaturated rocks
1. naming a volcanic rock containing feldspathoids follows a procedure similar to that for plutonic
rocks, i.e. thefoid in the root name is replaced with the name of the dominant feldspathoid
2. along the feldspar join and up to 10 % feldspathoid, the rock is given the root name of the field in
the QAP triangle but it is modified by the term foid-bearing
a) thus, we could have anepheline-bearinglatite or aleucite-bearingtrachyte
3. between 10 and 60 %feldspathoid, the triangle is divided into four fields
a) when alkali feldspar is greater than plagioclase, the following fields are defined:
(1) phonolite: alkali feldspar greater than 90 % with less than 10 % plagioclase
(a) the dominantfeldspathoid should be included as part of the rock name, e.g. leucite
phonolite
(b) mafic minerals commonly present in such rocks include olivine, augite oraegerine-augite
and sodic amphibole
(c) a tepheritic phonolite has a slightly greater amount of plagioclase, i.e. 10-50 %
plagioclase and 90-50 % alkali feldspar
b) when plagioclase is more abundant than alkali feldspar, the rock fields are drawn symmetrically
with respect to those in the other field but each field contains two rock types that are
distinguished based on olivine content of their CIPW norms
(1) when plagioclase is greater than 90 %, the two rock types are:
(a) basanite: normative olivine > 10 %
(b) tephrite: normative olivine < 10 %
(c) the root name of these rocks should include the name of the dominant feldspathoid(s), e.g.
nephelinebasanite
(2) for rocks with between 50 and 90 % plagioclase, the same prefix is used,phonolitic,
i.e. but
the root name is again assigned based on the olivine content and they are taken from the
more plagioclase rich field
(a) phonolitic basanite: olivine > 10 %
(b) phonolitic tephrite: olivine < 10 %
4. between 60 and 90%feldspathoid, there are two volcanic rock types defined
a) a tephritic foidite contains less than 50 % alkali feldspar
b) the rock is aphonolitic foidite, e.g. phonoliticnephelinite, when alkali feldspar is greater than
50 %
5. at greater than 90 %feldspathoid, feldspar is nearly absent and the rock is called foidite
a to
distinguish it from its plutonic equivalent the
foidilite
a) for a particularfoidite, the name is changed to reflect the dominant feldspathoid present
modally, e.g.nephelinite,leucitite
II. Chemical Classification
A. Introduction
1. the subcommission considered several classification schemes
2. norms, e.g. CIPW andRittmann, were not used because they had problems dividing components
between normative minerals, were critically dependent upon the oxidation state of iron or were too
complicated
3. because of these difficulties it was deemed best to use simple chemical parameters in a strictly
chemical classification scheme
a) in 1981 at Cambridge, England, it was agreed to consider the total alkali silica (TAS) diagram
as a basis for classification
(1) previously suggested as classification scheme; and
(2) SiO2 was being already widely used on an informal basis
4. this scheme was modified through a series of stages Le (Maitre, 1984;Le Bas et al., 1986;Le
Maitre, 1989) and finally accepted
B. Characteristics of the Scheme
1. the TAS classification ispurely descriptivewith no genetic significance
2. for classifying fresh rocks that have not undergone crystal accumulation
a) by definition, a fresh volcanic rocks is assumed to have less than 2 2% O+Hand CO2 of less than
0.5 %
b) Sabine et al. (1986) has shown, however, that many low grade metavolcanic rocks can be
successfully classified using this scheme
3. the classification is easy to use
a) initially only need total alkalis and SiO2
b) if the rock falls in certain fields, a CIPW norm may be needed to further subdivide the field
c) when a norm is calculated the reported FeO and Fe2O3 are used when available
4. before plotting the analysis is recalculated on an anhydrous basis
C. The TAS diagram
1. the TAS diagram is a plot of the total alkalis, i.e. the sum of the weight percents of the oxides of
Na2O and K2O versus silica
2. the diagram consists of fourteen fields designated by letter (to distinguish it from the plutonic fields
in the QAPF which are numbered)
a) three groups of fields have the same letter with numeric subscripts
b) these fields consists of rocks that are commonly associated with each other
3. the letter of these three groups reflects their state of silica saturation in the CIPW norm
a) O: oversaturated;
b) S: saturated (these fields are further subdivided based on additional geochemical parameters);
and
c) U: undersaturated
4. fields designated by a single letter (6) consist of rocks commonly associated with more than one of
the series
5. this scheme determines the root name, however additional chemical criteria are used to subdivide
further some fields
a) root names can be qualified with any numberdefinedof descriptive terms
D. Using the TAS Classification
1. to use the TAS classification, the following calculations must be performed
a) bulk rock analysis is normalized to an2O H and CO2-free basis
b) to calculate a CIPW if need to assign a root name, the FeO/Fe2O3 ratio of the original analysis is
used
(1) when only total iron is given, the procedure for assigning ferric and ferrous iron is left to the
investigator
2. after these operations are Figure 7: Determination of high-Mg volcanic rocks
performed, the rock is
checked to see if it is one
of the high-Mg varieties
(see diagram)
a) the picritic rocks have
silica contents of less
than 53 wt %, more
than 18 % MgO and
very low total alkalis
(<0.5 %)
(1) these are the
chemical
equivalents of ultramafic plutonic rocks
(2) and are further subdivided based on their alkalis and TiO
2 content
(a) pricrite: Na2O + K2O > 1%
(b) komatiite: Na2O + K2O < 1% and TiO2 < 1%
(c) meimechite: Na2O + K2O < 1% and TiO2 > 1%
b) boninites have silica contents greater than 53 wt %, MgO > 8 and low 2TiO (<0.5 %)
3. rocks not falling in the ultramafic category are classified using the TAS diagram with further
subdivisions in some fields (see diagram)
a) field B: basalt is further

subdivided based on the CIPW
norm
(1) alkali basalt: contains
normativenepheline
(2) subalkali basalt: does not
contain normativenepheline
b) fields B, O1, O2, O3 and R: the
oversaturated series (basalt,
basaltic andesite,dacite and
rhyolite can be designated as low-
K, medium-K or high-K
depending upon where they plot
on a SiO2-K2O diagram
Figure 8: Total Alkali Silica classification diagram
(1) because they may have more
Na2O than K2O, the high-K series isnot equivalent withpotassic
c) field R: the rhyolite field is divided intoperalkaline rhyolite if molecular (Na2O + K2O)/Al2O3
is greater than one
(1) peralkalinerhyolites are further
subdivided based on theiralumina
to total iron relation (see diagram)
(a) comenditic rhyolite ( =
comendite): high alumina with
low total iron
(b) pantelleritic rhyolite (=
panterllerite): low alumina
with high total iron
d) field T: different types separated
based on normative q in CIPW norm
and theirperalkalinity
(1) divisions based on normative Figure 9: Diagram used to identify low-, medium and high-K series
quartz content are:
(a) trachyte: q < 20 %
(b) trachydacite: q > 20 %
(2) peralkalinetrachytes are further subdivided based on their alumina to total iron relation (see
diagram)
(a) comenditic trachyte: high alumina with low total iron
(b) pantelleritic trachyte: low

alumina with high total iron
e) fields S1, S2 and S3: these fields are
divided intopotassic andsodic based
on the relation of Na 2O-2 and K2O
(1) see table for specific rock types
f) field U1: this field is divided into two
root names depending upon the
normativeol content
(1) basanite: ol > 10 %
(2) tephrite: ol < 10 %
Figure 10: Diagram todistisguishcomenditic and
g) field F: this field containsfoidite with
pantelleriticperalkaline rocks.
two major varietiesnephelinite and
leucitite
III. Field Classification
1. a field classification is used if neither modes nor chemical analysis are available
a) should be replaced by QAPF or TAS diagram classification later
2. based on simplified QAPF diagram and shown
below
SPECIAL ROCK CLASSES

I. Pyroclastic Rocks and Tephra
A. Introduction
1. rocks are classified as pyroclastic if they were
formed by disruption as a direct result of volcanic
action
a) this definition excludes fragmental, volcanic
rocks formed theautobrecciation of lava flows
b) this is because the lava flow not the brecciation
is the direct result of volcanic activity
2. the IUGS nomenclature is purely descriptive with no
genetic implications
a) thus, it can be readily applied by the non-
specialist
3. the terms used in the classification describe only the
granulometric state of the rocks Figure 11: Field classification diagram for
a) it does not imply anything about how the volcanic rocks.
pyroclasts were formed
4. consequently, this classification scheme can be applied to air fall, flow and surge deposits as well
as lahars, subsurface and vent deposits
a) that is, we can describe ash flows as well hyaloclastites,
as intrusion and extrusion breccias, tuff
dikes, diatremes, etc.
5. although no compositional or genetic information is supplied by the root names, the addition of
appropriate modifiers can easily convey this sort of information
B. Pyroclasts
1. the fragments produced by disruption due to volcanic action are called
ejecta, pyroclasts,
pyroclastic ejecta or tephra
2. these fragments can be classified in a variety of ways including:

a) origin;
b) general composition;
c) size; and
d) condition at the time of eruption and landing, i.e. solid or molten
3. in terms of origin, the ejecta may be from a magma or from pre-existing rock
a) in 1885, Johnston-Laves suggested the following terms to describe the different origins of
pyroclasts
(1) juvenile or essential: new igneous rock formed by solidification of magma during eruption
(2) accessory: rocks from an earlier period of magmatism of the same volcano
(3) accidental: sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks fragments not genetically related to
the volcano, i.e. accidentally ripped from the conduit walls during ascent and/or eruption
4. with respect to pyroclasts, composition generally refers to the nature of the pyroclast not its
chemical composition
a) for example, pyroclasts may be individual crystals, crystal fragments, glass fragments or rock
fragments
b) the terms used to denote pyroclast composition include:
(1) vitric: glass particles formed from molten magma and by definition juvenile material
(a) shards are segments of bubble walls, i.e.vesiculated glass, and produced from magmas
that have been literally ripped apart by expanding gas
(2) lithic: pre-existing rocks fragments that are of accidental or accessory origin
(3) crystal: tephra consisting of broken or whole crystals
(a) these may be juvenile, accessory or accidental in origin
5. pyroclasts are defined based on their size which is the major criteria for classification in the IUGS
system
a) the size classes are:
(1) bombs have mean diameters greater than 64 mm and characteristics, e.g. shape or surface,
suggesting they were wholly or completely molten during formation and transport
(2) blocks have similar mean diameters but their angular subangular
to shapes indicate they
were solid at the time of formation
(3) lapilli consist of fragments of any shape with mean diameter between 64 mm and 2 mm
(4) ash are pyroclasts with mean diameter less than 2 mm and further subdivided as follows:
(a) coarse ash: 2 to 1/16 mm
(b) fine ash or dust: < 1/16 mm
b) this size classification scheme assumes the pyroclasts have not been altered by later
redepositional processes
(1) when pyroclasts have been reworked, they are called reworked pyroclasts or if their origins
is uncertainepiclasts
C. Pyroclastic Deposits
1. an assemblage of pyroclasts whether consolidated or unconsolidated are defined pyroclastic
as
deposits
2. they must contain greater than 75 vol % pyroclasts
a) the remaining materials are generally epiclastic, organic, chemical sedimentary authigenic
or in
origin
3. depending upon the degree of consolidated, they are given different names
a) pyroclastic rocks predominantly consolidated
b) tephra represent unconsolidated pyroclasts
4. well-sorted andunimodal pyroclastic rocks are classified as follows:
a) agglomerate: pyroclastic deposit predominate by rounded pyroclasts with average fragment

size exceeding 64 mm
b) pyroclastic breccia: average pyroclastic size exceeds 64 mm and particles are angular in shape
c) lapilli tuff: average pyroclast is between 64 mm and 2 mm
d) tuff or ash tuff consist of rocks with the average diameter of the pyroclasts is less than 2 mm
with following further subdivisions
(1) coarse (ash) tuff: 2 - 1/16 mm
(2) fine (ash) or dust tuff: < 1/16 mm
(3) tuffs are also defined based on the nature of their pyroclasts according to the following
diagram
5. any of the pyroclastic rock names can be qualified by use of prefixes denoting:
a) genetic: air-fall tuff, flow tuff;
lacustrine tuff; vent agglomerate
b) composition: basaltic lapilli tuff,rhyolitic ash
6. polymodal or poorly-sorted pyroclastic deposits
consist of more than one dominant size fraction of
pyroclasts
a) these rocks should be named using a
combination of terms
(1) ash lapilli tuff: lapilli>ash;
(2) lapilli ash tuff: ash>lapilli;
(3) bed of lapilli and ash, lapilli ash tephra:
ash>lapilli
D. Mixed Pyroclastic-Epiclastic Deposits
1. rocks with both pyroclastic and epiclastic (normal
clastic material) should be given general name
tuffites
a) these rocks contain between 25 and 75 %
pyroclasts Figure 12: Classification of tuffs and ashes
2. these rocks have typical sedimentary root names based on particle character
based on average grain size
a) the volcanic origin of their fragmental material is denoted by applying tuffaceous to normal
sedimentary name
3. based on average grain size, the following rock types are defined
a) if the fragments are greater than 2mm, the rock s either tuffaceous
a conglomerateor
tuffaceous breccia
b) a tuffaceous sandstone has particles between 1/16 and 2 mm
c) between 1/256 and 1/16 mm, the rock is termedtuffaceous
a siltstone
d) finally, a mixed pyroclastic-epiclastic rock with particles smaller than 1/256 mmtuffaceous
is a
mudstone or tuffaceous shale
II. Charnockitic Rocks
1. charnockitic rocks are characterized by the presence of modal hypersthene and perthitic feldspar
a) since the feldspars are predominantly perthitic, they are classified on the basis of what they
originally crystallized as for plotting purposes
(1) antiperthites are classed as plagioclase because the major componentandesine,
is i.e.
plagioclase
(2) mesoperthite: equally split between alkali feldspar and plagioclase, since the two
components are roughly equal in amount
(3) perthites are counted as alkali feldspar because their host is alkali feldspar
2. temporally and spatially charnockitic rocks are restricted to Precambrian terranes
a) as might be expected of such old rocks, charnockitic rocks generally show evidence of
deformation andrecrystallization
b) consequently, a debate exists as to whether they are igneous or metamorphic in origin
c) typically, they are also associated with norites and anorthosites
3. these are silica saturated rocks, so they lie above the feldspar join inStreikeisen
the diagram, i.e.
they fall in the QAP triangle
4. boundaries between the different types of charnockitic rocks are the same as defined originally in
the QAPF diagram
a) a charnockitic rock can be designated by either a special name (shown below) or by placing the
mineral modifier hypersthene in front of the common rock name
b) the two procedures are
illustrated in the diagram
below
5. to denote rocks containing
mesoperthite, the prefixm-
can be placed in front of the
root name, e.g.m-
charnockite
III. Melilitic Rocks
1. rocks are classified as
melilitic if they contain
greater than 10 % modal
melilite
a) they are classified as
ultramafic andultramafic
varieties
2. melilite is regarded as a Figure 13: Special names forcharnockitic rocks.
mafic mineral, i.e. part of the M group
a) the group has the general formulaCa,Na)
( 2[(Mg,Al,Si)3O7]
(1) there is a complete solid solution between ankermanite,Ca2(MgSi2)O7, and gehlenite,
Ca2(Al(AlSi2))O7, with a minimum melting temperature at 1385 °C and a composition of
Ak72Ge28
(2) there is also asodic variety - sodameliliteCaNa(AlSi2)O7
3. the general rock names are different for the volcanic and plutonic rocks
a) melilitolite: plutonicmelilitic rocks
b) melilitite: volcanicmelilitic rocks
4. for ultramafic rocks (M>90),

names are assigned based on the
proportion of olivine,melilite and
clinopyroxene
a) when greater than 10% modal
olivine, the term olivine is
added to the name
b) specific names are shown on
the accompanying diagram
(1) special varietal name may
be used for someplutonic
varieties
5. if the rock contains less than 90
% mafic minerals, the rock is
classified according to the
plutonic or volcanic QAPF
diagram
a) these names are qualified with
the termmelilite
b) for example, a rock plotting in
the nephelinite field of the
volcanic QAPF diagram but
with more than 10 %melilite
is calledmelilitenephelinite
IV. Carbonatites
1. this scheme is used for rocks with
greater than 50 5 modal Figure 14: Classification scheme for
ultramaficmelilitic rocks.
carbonate
a) the rocks can be volcanic or plutonic in nature
2. the followingminerallogically classes have been defined:
a) calcite-carbonatite: calcite is main carbonate
b) dolomite-carbonatite (beforsite): dolomite is main carbonate
c) ferrocarbonatite: iron-rich carbonate is main carbonate
3. if rock too fine-grained to determine mode
accuractely or carbonates are complex solid
solutions, the chemical classification shown in the
diagram can be use
V. Lamprophyric Rocks
A. Introduction
1. this class of rocks includeslamprophyres,
lamproites andkimberlites
2. the general characteristics of these rocks are as
follows
a) they are not simply textural varieties of
common plutonic or volcanic rocks and have
distinctive modes of occurrence Figure 15: Chemical classification of igneous
(1) lamprophyres: dikes carbonate rocks.
(2) lamproites: dikes and small extrusions
(3) kimberlites: pipes
b) feldspars and/or feldspathoids, when present, restricted to groundmass

(1) absent inkimberlites
c) hydrothermal alteration of olivine, pyroxene, biotite and plagioclase, when present, are common
d) calcite, zeolites and other hydrothermal minerals may appear primary
B. Mineralogical Characteristics
1. lamprophyres are porphyritic,meso- tomelacractic (M' = 35-90) and only rarely ultramafic (M' =
90-100)
a) contain essential biotite (or Fe-phlogopite) and/or amphibole as well as clinopyroxene and
olivine
(1) sometimes they havemelilite
b) classified according to theirfelsic minerals
2. lamporites similar tolamprophyres but contain some unusual phases
a) K-Ti-richterite
b) priderite:
c) wadeite
d) jeppite
e) Fe-orthoclase
f) leucite may also be present
3. kimberlites are ultramafic and consist of major amounts serpentinised
of olivine with variable
amounts of phlogopite, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, carbonate chromite
and
a) characteristic accessory phases include:pyrope garnet,monticellite,rutile andperovskite
C. Geochemical Characteristics
1. lamprophyres have high 2KO and/or Na2O, H2O, CO2, S, P2O5, Ba compared to other rocks of
similar composition
2. lamproites areperalkaline, i.e. molar (Na2O + K2O)/Al2O3 greater than 1
3. kimberlites are generally undersaturated,ultrabasic rocks (SiO 2 25-35 %) with low alumina (< 5 %)
a) Na2O/K2O is very low (< 5 %) and they are peralkaline
NAMING AN IGNEOUS ROCK

I. Assigning a Root Name
1. the following procedure is a systematic means of giving an igneous rock a root name according to
the IUGS scheme
a) in general, this root name will be strictly descriptive in nature without any genetic implications
2. the first step is to determine the modal mineralogy of the rock of interest
3. using this information, ascertain if the rock is one of the special or unusual types,carbonatites,
i.e.
lampophyric, charnockitic, melilitic, etc.
4. if the rock doesn’t fall into any of these classes, determine if the rock is volcanic or plutonic based
on texture
a) if the minerals can be identified by the unaided eye the rock is plutonic, otherwise t it is volcanic
5. if the rock is plutonic, determine if M is greater than 70
a) these rocks are plotted in the ol-pl-cpx-opx orol-pl-pyx-hbltetrahedras
(1) if M > 90, the rock is ultramafic and classified based on its abundance of cpx,
opx, ol and/or
hornblende
(a) normalize the appropriate modal minerals to 100 % and plot them on the appropriate
classification diagram
(b) assign the rock a name from the diagram, e.g. websterite
(2) for rocks with M between 70 and 90, i.e. thegabbroic rocks, they are plotted in the pl-ol-
b) if the rock contains less than M = 70, it is classified using the QAPF double triangle
(1) classification in this diagram requires normalizing modal quartz, alkali feldspar, plagioclase
and feldspathoids to 100 %
(2) root name is then determined by the field in the double triangle in which it plots
6. when a rock is volcanic, the first step in classifying it is by determining if the modes are available
a) when the modes are known, the rock is classified based on modal mineralogy in a slightly
modified QAPF double triangle
b) if the modal mineralogy is unknown, the rock is named using its chemistry
(1) determine if it is a high-Mg variety in the expanded total alkalis- silica diagram
(2) if not, go to the TAS diagram and classify
(a) rocks in the saturated field are further subdivided based on their2ONa- K2O relationship
(b) oversaturated series rocks can be assigned to low-, medium- and high-K 2O series based
on the K2O-SiO2 diagram
(c) in the rhyolite/trachyte fields, rocks can be further classified comenditic
as orpantelleritic
T
based on their position in the Al O
2 3 versus FeO diagram
B. Root Name Modifiers
1. by using the IUGS classification scheme, a geologist can assign an igneous rock a root name
a) this name tells another geologist familiar with the classification scheme the essential mineralogy
of the rock and whether it is plutonic or volcanic
(1) because some minerals can vary widely in the proportions of essential minerals, e.g. granites,
we often have only a rough idea of the proportions of essential minerals for some very
important igneous rocks
b) the root name impliesnothing about its petrogenesis, chemical composition or the nature and
extent of accessory minerals
(1) in many instances, it also carries no information about the mechanism of formation or
textures
2. consequently, we will often use modifiers of the root name to provide a wealth of additional
information
3. perhaps the most common modifier is the name of the accessory minerals present
a) if any accessory minerals are present in greater than 5%, their name should precede the rock
name in order of increasing abundance
(1) for example, 8% biotite and 6% hornblende in a websterite would be denoted as a
hornblende-biotite websterite
b) if an accessory mineral is present in less than 5%, the rock name should have the mineral name
with -bearing in front of it
(1) 3% garnet in the above example would be denoted as an garnet-bearing hornblende- biotite
websterite
4. the prefixesleuco ormela may be used to modify the root name of the rock
a) for mafic rocks, this is based on the plagioclase content as discussed previously
b) for intermediate or acidic rocks, it is dependent upon the amount of maficfelsic and minerals
present
(1) for example, an unusually light granodiorite (< 5% mafics) containing 3%apatite and 7%
biotite would be called anapatite-bearing biotiteleucogranodiorite
5. lastly, some other special modifier may be used to denote alteration,sauseritized,
e.g. serpentinized,
or texture, e.g.aplitic
II. Rock Frequency
1. not all of the rock types have similar frequencies of occurrence
2. a rough indication of relative abundances of the various rock types are shown below for both
volcanic and plutonic rocksStreckeisen,
( 1967)

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GEOL 2020: Introduction to Petrology: Igneous Petrology - Classification 1

CLASSIFICATION OF IGNEOUS ROCKS: THE IUGS SCHEME

group term upper limit

(1) abundance of glass in volcanic rocks, denoted glass-rich

a) these rocks generally consist of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, hornblende, sometimes

(a) within the normallherzolite field, the

(a) if alkali feldspar equals plagioclase, the rock iskentallenite

B. Silica saturated and oversaturated rocks - the QAP triangle

6. these names may be modified with the

(b) tschenites: analcimegabbro

a) field B: basalt is further

(b) pantelleritic trachyte: low

SPECIAL ROCK CLASSES

2. these fragments can be classified in a variety of ways including:

a) agglomerate: pyroclastic deposit predominate by rounded pyroclasts with average fragment

4. for ultramafic rocks (M>90),

b) feldspars and/or feldspathoids, when present, restricted to groundmass

NAMING AN IGNEOUS ROCK

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