Hexagonal basalt columns showing igneous cooling texture

Geology hub

Igneous

How magma becomes rock: chemistry, cooling rate, texture, and what igneous rocks reveal about Earth’s interior.

Subtopics

Basalt

Fine-grained, dark volcanic rock—what it says about mantle melting, eruptions, and oceanic crust.

Granite

Coarse-grained intrusive rock—how slow cooling builds crystals and why granite is common in continents.

Obsidian

Volcanic glass—why it forms, how it fractures, and what hydration can tell us about surface exposure.

Igneous textures

From glassy to porphyritic: how texture records cooling history and eruption style.