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
Archean felsic volcanic rocks Archean felsic volcanic rocks Archean felsic volcanic rocks are felsic volcanic rocks that were formed in the Archean Eon (4 to 2.5 billion years ago). The term "felsic" means that the rocks have silica content of 62–78%. Given that the Earth formed at ~4.5 billion year ago, Archean felsic volcanic rocks provide clues on the Earth's first volcanic activities on the Earth's surface started 500 million years after the Earth's formation. As the Archean Earth was two or three time hotter than the present, formation of felsic volcanic rocks may differ from the modern plate tectonics. Archean felsic volcanic rocks