rhyolite

American  

[rahy-uh-lahyt] / ˈraɪ əˌlaɪt /

noun

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

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rhyolite British  

/ ˈraɪəˌlaɪt, ˌraɪəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

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

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rhyolite Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

• rhyolitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of rhyolite

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhyolite

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

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2021

Samples of rhyolite from basalt-dominated Iceland could provide a window on how this process works worldwide, Eichelberger says.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 14, 2021

Storage and eruption of near-liquidus rhyolite magma at Cordon Caulle, Chile.

From Nature ● Dec. 12, 2017

In the narration, Smithson mentions, “I’m not interested in excavation,” an operation that sets what he did apart from Mr. Heizer, who displaced 240,000 tons of rhyolite and sandstone when he created “Double Negative.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2017

At that time, hidden under the lake's surface, two rhyolite dikes, or upright walls of harder rock, extended crosswise through the lake more than half a mile apart.

From The Book of the National Parks by Yard, Robert Sterling