common types of mineral formations
These rocks include andesite, basalt, obsidian, pumice, rhyolite, scoria, and tuff. Pictures and brief descriptions of some common igneous rock types are shown on this page. Diorite is a coarse-grained, intrusive igneous rock that contains a mixture of feldspar, pyroxene, hornblende and sometimes quartz.
Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of molten rock material. There are two basic types. Intrusive igneous rocks crystallize below Earth's surface and the slow cooling that occurs there allows large crystals to form. Examples of intrusive igneous rocks are diorite, gabbro, granite, pegmatite, and peridotite.
As a result, rocks form quickly and mineral crystals are very small. Rhyolite is one type of rock that is formed when lava cools. It contains similar minerals to granite. However, as you can see in Figure 3.21, the mineral crystals are much smaller than the crystals in the granite shown in Figure 3.20.