Yooperlites are a variety of sodalite-rich syenite found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Zircon crystals in igneous rocks must be carefully examined and not relied upon solely to predict future volcanic eruptions and other tectonic events, researchers have shown.

Intrusive rocks cooled slower, allowing the minerals to form crystals that can be detected by the eye. The most common intrusive igneous rock in the area is known as diabase.

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Why don’t rocks burn? – Luke, age 4, New Market, ...

Microbes have been discovered alive inside 2-billion-year-old rock, offering a rare window into Earth’s deep past. Found in ...

An examination of crystals of zircon in rhyolites, an igneous rock, from the Snake River Plain solidifies evidence for a new view of the life cycle of super-volcanic eruptions, and in tandem with ...

Igneous rocks contain randomly arranged interlocking crystals. The size of the crystals depends on how quickly the molten magma solidifies and can form extrusive igneous rocks or intrusive igneous ...

Scientists say a weird, baseball-sized space rock studded with green crystals is "completely different" from any other known meteorite on Earth. Thought to be some 4.6 billion years old, the space ...

Characteristics of igneous rocks These rocks are formed when magma solidifies. As the magma cools, mineral crystals will begin to grow. These crystals will grow and interlock to form a hard ...

A half century later, crystals of the mineral zircon inside a coarse-grained igneous rock fragment collected by Schmitt are giving scientists a deeper understanding about the moon's formation and ...