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Definition of "rhyolite" [rhy•o•lite]

  • A fine-grained extrusive volcanic rock, similar to granite in composition and usually exhibiting flow lines. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "rhyolite" in a sentence
  • "Left long enough, this magma erupts as a substance known as rhyolite - a very pale yellow or grey rock which is responsible for the beautiful colours in Landmannalaugar and Yellowstone in the US."
  • "Field work has been focused to define a drilling program to test the gold mineralization present in a silicified dacite dike (previously classified as a rhyolite dike), which outcrops extensively on the concessions."
  • "The first is that, in addition to the basaltic magma associated with mid-ocean ridges, Iceland's volcanoes produce significant amounts of rhyolite, which is silica-rich and, more significantly, contains a lot more volatile substances."
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