Rhyolite is a relatively common volcanic rock.

It is the chemical
equivalent of granite. Although the two rock types have the
same chemistry, rhyolite is extrusive and granite is intrusive.
While granite has crystals that are generally easy to see, in
rhyolite the crystals are often too small to see. This is due to the
more rapid cooling of the rhyolite lava compared to granite's
slower cooling magma.
In general, the slower a magma cools the larger the crystal size.
Although crystals in rhyolite are usually hard to see, they are
there, but as microscopic crystals often surrounded by a glassy
matrix. If the lava fails to form crystals and is essentially all
glass, then it is more correctly called an obsidian.
At times some crystals can grow large enough to see and then
the texture is call porphyritic. Porphyritic texture means that
there are larger crystals surrounded by a fine grained or glassy
matrix. Sometimes there are rounded sphericules of quartz or
feldspar in the matrix. If the rock contains numerous holes or
vesicules, then the rhyolite is called pumice.
Rhyolite is found in volcanic arcs where crustal rocks have been
subducted under continental crust and melted into a lighter
magma rich in silica. Rhyolite contains over 70% silica or SiO2.
This high silica content gives the rock its general light color, low
density and a high viscosity to the lava. Viscosity is a measure of
how resistant to flow a liquid is. The higher the viscosity, the
slower and more "thick" the lava is.
Rhyolitic lavas are often more explosive and slower moving than
the less viscous basalt lavas such as those that erupt on the
island of Hawaii. Rhyolite often is found with flow banding
"frozen" into the rock. This lends to uses as decorative rocks and
even ornamental stones for jewelry.
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Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock. Due to the high silica content,

rhyolite lava is very viscous. It flows slowly, like tooth paste squeezed out
of a tube, and tends to pile up and form lava domes. If rhyolite magma is
gas rich it can erupt explosively, forming a frothy solidified magma
called pumice (a very lightweight, light-coloured, vesicular form of
rhyolite) along with ash deposits, and / or ignimbrite. In certain situations
extremely porous rhyolite lava flows may develop. The extreme porosity
of such flows allows degassing and subsequent collapse of the flow,
forming obsidian (dark coloured volcanic glass). Rhyolite is
the volcanic equivalent ofgranite.
Other
specimens
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rhyolite

Group - volcanic.
Colour - variable, but light coloured.
Texture - usually porphyritic, but can be aphanitic (e.g. obsidian).
Mineral content - groundmass generally of quartz and plagioclase, with
lesser amounts oforthoclase, biotite, amphibole (augite), pyroxene
(hornblende), and glass; phenocrysts of plagioclase and quartz, often with
amphibole and / or biotite, sometimes orthoclase.
Silica (SiO2) content - 69%-77%.
Uses - can be used as aggregate, fill etc. in the construction and roading
industries (often not ideal for concrete aggregate because of high silica
content); obsidian was used by pre-European Maori as a cutting tool, and

can be carved into jewellery; pumice is used as an abrasive (especially in

the cosmetic industry), and can also be incorporated into lightweight
building materials.
New Zealand occurrences - Northland, Great Barrier Island,
Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua-Taupo area (Taupo Volcanic
Zone), minor occurrences on Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains.

Rhyolite caldera complexes are the most explosive of Earth's volcanoes but often don't even look
like volcanoes. They are usually so explosive when they erupt that they end up collapsing in on
themselves rather than building any tall structure (George Walker has termed such structures
"inverse volcanoes"). The collapsed depressions are large calderas, and they indicate that
the magmachambers associated with the eruptions are huge. In fact, layers of ash (either ash
falls or ash flows) often extend over thousands of square kilometers in all directions from these
calderas. Fortunately we haven't had to live through one of these since 83 AD when Taupo
erupted. Many rhyolite caldera complexes, however, are the scenes of small-scale eruptions
during the long reposes between big explosive events. The vents for these smaller eruptions
sometimes follow the ring faults of the main caldera but most often they don't. The origin of these
rhyolite complexes is still not well-understood. Many folks think that Yellowstone, for example, is
associated with a hotspot. However, a hotspot origin for most other rhyolite calderas doesn't
work; they occur in subduction-related arcs. Examples of rhyolite caldera complexes include
Yellowstone, La Primavera, Rabaul, Taupo, Toba, and others.

This is an outcrop in the Los Chocoyos ignimbrite, the product of one of the most powerful
eruptions known...

Riolit adalah batuan vulkanik relatif umum. Ini adalah setara kimia granit.Meskipun kedua jenis
batuan memiliki chemistry yang sama, riolit adalahekstrusif dan granit yang intrusive. Sementara
granit memiliki kristal yangumumnya mudah untuk melihat, di riolit kristal sering terlalu kecil untuk
dilihat.Hal ini disebabkan oleh pendinginan lebih cepat dari lava riolit dibandingkandengan magma
pendinginan lambat granit itu.Secara umum, magma lambat mendinginkan ukuran kristal yang lebih
besar.Meskipun kristal di riolit biasanya sulit untuk melihat, mereka ada di sana, namunkristal
mikroskopis yang sering dikelilingi oleh matriks gelas. Jika lava gagalmembentuk kristal dan pada
dasarnya semua kaca, maka lebih tepat disebutsebuah obsidian.Pada saat beberapa kristal dapat
tumbuh cukup besar untuk melihat dan kemudiantekstur porfiritik panggilan. Tekstur porfiritik berarti
bahwa ada kristal yang lebih besar dikelilingi oleh matriks berbutir halus atau kaca. Kadang-kadang
adadibulatkan sphericules dari kuarsa atau feldspar dalam matriks. Jika batumengandung banyak
lubang atau vesicules, maka riolit ini disebut batu apung.Rhyolite ditemukan dalam busur vulkanik di
mana batuan kerak telah subduksi di bawah kerak benua dan meleleh menjadi magma ringan kaya
silika. Rhyolitemengandung silika lebih dari 70% atau SiO2. Ini kandungan silika tinggimemberikan
batu cahaya umum warna, kepadatan rendah dan viskositas tinggiuntuk lava. Viskositas adalah ukuran
seberapa tahan mengalir cairan ini. Semakintinggi viskositas, semakin lambat dan lebih "tebal" adalah
lava.Lava rhyolitic sering lebih eksplosif dan lambat bergerak dari lava basalt kurangkental seperti
yang meletus di pulau Hawaii. Riolit sering ditemukan denganaliran banding "beku" ke batu. Hal ini
meminjamkan untuk menggunakan sebagai batu hias dan batu hias bahkan untuk perhiasan.
Igneous Rock Type: Extrusive volcanicRelated to: Granite, pumice, obsidianChemistry:
AcidicColor: White, gray, light black Texture: Aphanitic (crystals too small to see)
to porphyritic (a mixture of crystalsizes)Origins: Volcanic arcsCommon Minerals: Quartz,
feldspars and hornblendeAccessory Minerals: Pyroxenes and biotite

Uses: Decorative stones, scouring stones and abrasives, ornamental stone

Batu beku Type: vulkanik ekstrusif Terkait dengan: Granit, batu apung, obsidianKimia:
asamWarna: Putih, abu-abu, hitam cahayaTekstur: Aphanitic (kristal terlalu kecil untuk
melihat) ke porfiritik (campuran ukurankristal)Origins: busur vulkanikUmum Mineral:
Quartz, feldspar dan hornblendeAksesori Mineral: pyroxenes dan biotitPenggunaan:
Dekoratif batu, batu penggosok dan abrasive, batu hias
Genesa :
Riolit terbentuk dari pembekuan magma di dalam kerak bumi yang lazimnyadari letupan gunung
berapi. yang terbentuk daripada pembekuan magma di luarpermukaan bumi. Riolit adalah bersifat
asid dan bes. Namun sebenarnya sifatasid batuan ini bergantung kepada kandungan silika di
dalamnya. Riolit dianggap berasid apabila kandungan silikanya melebihi 66%. Riolit seringditemukan
berupa lava.
Kegunaan :
sebagai bahan baku beton ringan, isolasi bangunan, plesteran, isolatortemperatur tinggi/rendah,
bahan penggosok, saringan/filter, bahan pembawa(media) dan campuran makanan ternak.
c. Batuan beku luar (efusif)Terbentuk di (dekat)permukaan bumi. Proses pendinginan
sangat cepatsehingga tidak sempat membentuk kristal. Struktur batuan ini dinamakan
amorf.
Batuan Beku asamGranit adalah batuan beku dalam bertekstur holokristalin,
feneritik,berbutir kasar, mengandung mineral-mineral : kuarsa 10-4- %,
felsparkalium 30-60 %, plagioklas natrium 0-35 %, mineral mafis
(biotit,hornblenda) 35-10 %.Riolit adalah batuan leleran dari granit, berbutir
halus, berteksturholokristalin hingga hipokristalin, afanitik. Mempunyai

komposisimineral sama dengan granit. Riolit terbentuk sebagai batuan gang

danbatuan leleran dalam bentukretas, sill, dan aliran.