An Introduction To Igneous Petrology
Rocks, whether sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous, tell a story. But before you can read the story you must first learn the syntax and meaning of the words that make up the language of rocks. In this article I will focus on the language of igneous rocks, and towards the end, I will talk a little about certain metamorphic rocks that are relevant to the discussion of igneous petrology. You don't need a background in geology to be able to understand this article. It is intended for the layperson. The first thing that you need to know about igneous rocks is that there are essentially two types of igneous rock: extrusive (volcanic) and intrusive (plutonic), which are characterized by both texture and composition. We will start off with a discussion of texture. read more