Intrusive igneous rocks - Gabbro

Page / - last modified by Roelof Zwaan on 2021/09/30 15:18

Gabbro

last modified by Roelof Zwaan

on 2021/09/30 15:18

Table of Contents

Gabbro is a coarse-grained intrusive rock that is mainly composed of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxenes which give this rock its black or dark green color. Gabbro is mainly found in lava flows of basaltic composition under the continental curst or be present within deep plutons. Gabbro can also be found underneath a layer of basalt at the oceanic crust, because the lower layers cool slower and minerals have the change to develop. Gabbro is the intrusive variant of basalt.

Characteristics

Abundant minerals in gabbro are plagioclase feldspar and pyroxenes, but amounts of olivine can also be present. A more detailed description can be seen on the chart on the right. Due to the slow cooling of the lava/magma crystals have time to develop and can be spotted with the naked eye in contrary to basalt.

References

https://geology.com/

Gabbro

Type	Intrusive igneous rock
Clasts	Coarse grained
Hardness	Very hard
Color	Black or dark green
Minerals	Plagioclase feldspar and pyroxenes
Touch	Rough
Image	Gabbro

Contents

Characteristics

References

Gabbro