Trachyandesite in the context of "Trachyte"

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⭐ Core Definition: Trachyandesite

Trachyandesite is an extrusive igneous rock with a composition between trachyte and andesite. It has little or no free quartz, but is dominated by sodic plagioclase and alkali feldspar. It is formed from the cooling of lava enriched in alkali metals and with an intermediate content of silica.

The term trachyandesite had begun to fall into disfavor by 1985 but was revived to describe extrusive igneous rocks falling into the S3 field of the TAS classification. These are divided into sodium-rich benmoreite and potassium-rich latite.

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Trachyandesite in the context of Intermediate composition

In igneous petrology, an intermediate composition refers to the chemical composition of a rock that has 51.5–63 wt% SiO2 being an intermediate between felsic and mafic compositions. Typical intermediate rocks include andesite and trachyandesite among volcanic rocks and diorite and granodiorite among plutonic rocks.

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Trachyandesite in the context of Benmoreite

Benmoreite is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. It is a silica-undersaturated sodium-rich variety of trachyandesite (the other kind is latite) and belongs to the alkaline suite of igneous rocks. It was named after Ben More, a mountain on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

Benmoreite has been found, for example, on Ascension Island and Easter Island, at Mount Berlin in Antarctica, and in Atakor volcanic field, Algeria. Benmoreite lava was erupted during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull.

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