Diabase

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(Redirected from Dolerite)
Diabase

Diabase (also known as dolerite or microgabbro[1]) is an igneous rock that is often blue in colour. It is rich in magnesium and iron. Dikes and sills in igneous rock are often made of diabase.

Diabase is mostly a silicate feldspar known as labradorite (about 40% to 70%). Most of the rest is pyroxene minerals (usually augite). Small amounts of hornblende, olivine, magnetite, and quartz are in some diabase rocks.

References[change | change source]

  1. "BGS Rock Classification Scheme - Dolerite (synonymous with Microgabbro)". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 24 August 2015.