Rhyolite deals Antiqued Bracelet // Rhyolite Jewelry // Sterling Silver // Village Silversmith
deals Stone measurement 1” x 1”
Toggle clasp
Rhyolite is fossilized lava flows from millions of years ago. Beautifully detailed antiqued silver work surround this comfortable sized bracelet We guarantee you'll love wearing this bracelet.
Set in 925 Sterling Silver.
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Rhyolite is an igneous rock of volcanic origin. We normally think of rhyolite as something that occurs only in the western and southwestern USA, but rhyolite does occur in Maine and other eastern states-- it's just not as common. While basalt usually originates from a very thin, easily-flowing lava, rhyolite comes from a very viscous and slow-moving lava. The difference is in the chemical / mineralogical composition. Both rhyolite and basalt are "extrusive igneous rocks" because they came from melts that cooled on the earth's surface rather than deep underground.
Rhyolite has a high silica content and is actually the same mineralogical composition as granite. Rhyolite is to granite what basalt is to gabbro. Rhyolite is "aphanitic", meaning the individual grains are so small you can't see them without a microscope.
Rhyolitic lava flows do not seem to be as abundant as basaltic lava flows. Because rhyolitic magma and lava are so thick, they tend to build up pressure until a gas explosion in the volcano throws them all over the place in particles ranging from ash all the way up to big blocky chunks. (Thinner rhyolitic flows can cool very rapidly and turn into obsidian, although basaltic flows can also yield obsidian. This is because "obsidian" refers to the glassy nature of the rock, not to its mineral composition.)