Archean felsic volcanic rocks lenticular fiamme. When hot pumice deposits on a cool surface, it is rapidly cooled, recrystallised and welded into quartz with flame-like ending tips. The eutaxiitc texture represents a hot vapour-phase emplacement of the fragmented volcanic materials on the Earth's surface. Flow bands are present in massive, uniform felsic lava flow units. When the viscous lava flow encounters a surface, friction drags the mobile lava and forms internal banding. Structureless hyaloclastite is commonly found in Archean felsic volcanic rocks. In submarine environments, water quenches and cools lava rapidly during volcanic eruption. The flow is fragmented and form glassy volcanic breccia. The
Geochemistry In the acid rocks the common feldspars are orthoclase, perthite, microcline, and oligoclase—all having much silica and alkalis. In the mafic rocks labradorite, anorthite and bytownite prevail, being rich in lime and poor in silica, potash and soda. Augite is the most common ferro-magnesian in mafic rocks, but biotite and hornblende are on the whole more frequent in felsic rocks. Rocks that contain leucite or nepheline, either partly or a wholly replacing felspar, are not included in this table. They are essentially of intermediate or of mafic character. We might in consequence regard them as varieties of syenite, diorite, gabbro,