Abstract

Summary At present one is not able to devise a single, standard classification of igneous rocks that is acceptable to all petrologists. This is mainly because igneous petrology consists of an uneasy union between the descriptive science of petrography and the explanatory science of petrogenesis, and at present the latter discipline is unable to provide a coherent model, or series of models, that can account for the origin and evolution ofall igneous rocks. Some of the more significant concepts used in the classification of volcanic rocks are examined, and three separate, yet complementary, classifications are presented.

Keywords

Igneous rockPetrogenesisPetrographyIgneous petrologyGeologyVolcanic rockGeochemistryEarth scienceVolcanoPetrologyVolcanismPaleontologyBasaltTectonicsEngineering geology

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Publication Info

Year
1980
Type
article
Volume
117
Issue
1
Pages
51-57
Citations
28
Access
Closed

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Eric A. K. Middlemost (1980). A contribution to the nomenclature and classification of volcanic rocks. Geological Magazine , 117 (1) , 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756800033094

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DOI
10.1017/s0016756800033094