Phenotype (igneous petrology)

In igneous petrology, a phenotype is an aphanitic igneous rock which is identified and classified according to the mineralogy of its phenocrysts, when it is impossible to determine the mineralogy of the groundmass.[1] Because phenocrysts represent the earlier part of crystallisation, and a melt may have evolved somewhat in between stages of cooling, they cannot be used to accurately describe the rock's true mineralogy or chemistry, but do provide an approximate estimation. As a result of this potential for error, phenotypes are identified using the prefix pheno-.[1]

This article is about petrology. For other uses, see phenotype (disambiguation).

References
  1. Winter, J.D. 2010. Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. pp. 29
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