Amygdaloidal basalt (igneous rock), Romania

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Locality: Romania Size: Eleven centimeters by nine centimeters by five centimeters Type: Igneous extrusive (volcanic) rock Description: Basalt is a fine-grained volcanic rock mainly composed of plagioclase, pyroxene, and ± opaque minerals including magnetite and ilmenite. Typically, basalts have a hypocrystalline texture that is aphanitic and porphyric. Magmas usually contain dissolved gases which form bubbles in the magma when pressure is released upon eruption. These bubbles can become trapped within solidified rock over time. Eventually, groundwater or hot solutions associated with volcanic activity pass through porous lava and deposit minerals like quartz, calcite, or others. Caverns filled with these substances are called amygdales, and rocks containing them are known as amygdaloidal. Essential minerals: plagioclase, mafic minerals such as pyroxenes, hornblende, and/or biotite Non-essential minerals: hornblende, biotite, and/or pyroxene Website: http://geology.uaic.ro/muzee/mineralogie/ Concept & 3D-modelling by Dr. Andrei Ionut APOPEI