rhyolite

[ rahy-uh-lahyt ]

noun

1. a fine-grained igneous rock rich in silica: the volcanic equivalent of granite.

rhyolite

/ ˈraɪəˌlaɪt; ˌraɪəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. a fine-grained igneous rock consisting of quartz, feldspars, and mica or amphibole. It is the volcanic equivalent of granite

rhyolite

/ rī′ə-līt′ /

1. A usually light-colored, fine-grained extrusive igneous rock that is compositionally similar to granite. It often includes flow lines formed during the extrusion.

Derived Forms

• rhyolitic, adjective

Other Words From

• rhy·o·lit·ic [rahy-, uh, -, lit, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhyolite¹

1865–70; rhyo- (irregular < Greek rhýax stream of lava) + -lite

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhyolite¹

C19: rhyo- from Greek rhuax a stream of lava + lite

Example Sentences

The rest spilled across this ancient seabed and formed a fine-grained rhyolite.

From Washington Post

No one is sure how the continent-forming magma originates; one idea is that basaltic magma gets altered by seawater, remelts, and eventually erupts from volcanoes as rhyolite.

From Science Magazine

Here's how you get garnets grown in rhyolite:

From Scientific American

We conclude that the composition of calcalkaline rhyolites is decisive in determining the mobilization and eruption dynamics of Earth’s largest volcanic systems, resulting in a better understanding of how the melt structure controls volcanic processes.

From Nature

In Savennières, the vineyards are largely schist, sandstone and rhyolite, a volcanic rock.

From New York Times