Is felsic or mafic more resistant to weathering?
Silicate minerals. Of silicate minerals in general we may observe that the more mafic minerals with higher melting points (those to be found to the right of our diagram in the article on igneous rocks) are more susceptible to chemical weathering than felsic low-temperature minerals.
What is the difference between mafic and felsic?
Mafic minerals are usually dark in color and have relatively high specific gravities (greater than 3.0). Felsic minerals are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3.0. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite mica, and the orthoclase feldspars.
Why do mafic rocks weather faster than felsic?
Mafic silicates like olivine and pyroxene tend to weather much faster than felsic minerals like quartz and feldspar. Different minerals show different degrees of solubility in water in that some minerals dissolve much more readily than others.
Are felsic rocks stronger than mafic rocks?
Felsic magma or lava is higher in viscosity than mafic magma/lava. Felsic rocks are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3. The most common felsic rock is granite. Common felsic minerals include quartz, muscovite, orthoclase, and the sodium-rich plagioclase feldspars (albite-rich).
What are 4 factors that affect weathering?
Factors affecting weathering
- rock strength/hardness.
- mineral and chemical composition.
- colour.
- rock texture.
- rock structure.
Does mafic or felsic melt faster?
Felsic minerals have the lowest melting points (600 to 750 °C) and mafic minerals have higher melting points (1000 to 1200 °C).
Is felsic light or dark?
Felsic minerals (quartz, K feldspar, etc) are light colored while mafic minerals (hornblende, pyroxenes) are normally dark colored. Felsic minerals have the lowest melting points (600 to 750 °C) and mafic minerals have higher melting points (1000 to 1200 °C).
Does mafic or felsic cool faster?
Felsic magmas tend to be cooler than mafic magmas when crystallization begins (because they don’t have to be as hot to remain liquid), and so they may start out crystallizing pyroxene (not olivine) and plagioclase.
How do you tell if a rock is felsic or mafic?
In a widely accepted silica-content classification scheme, rocks with more than 65 percent silica are called felsic; those with between 55 and 65 percent silica are intermediate; those with between 45 and 55 percent silica are mafic; and those with less than 45 percent are ultramafic.
What type of rock is most resistant to weathering?
Quartz is known to be the most resistant rock- forming mineral during surface weathering.
What are the 5 factors that affect weathering?
What are the 6 causes of weathering?
Many forces are involved in weathering and erosion, including both natural and man-made causes.
- Physical Weathering. Physical or mechanical weathering is the disintegration of rock into smaller pieces.
- Chemical Weathering.
- Water Erosion.
- Wind Erosion.
- Gravity.