Layer 3 Layer 2

Intrusive Igneous Rocks


Large Plutons
  • Batholith:a very large (>40 sq.km) body that cuts across earlier rocks
  • Stock: a smaller body (<40 sq. km) that cuts across earlier rocks that is the upper part of a batholith.
Small Plutons
  • Laccolith: a dome-shaped pluton that has a flat floor
  • Sill: a tabular-shaped body that runs parallel to the rock layers
  • Dike: a tabular-shaped body that cuts across rock layers
Intrusive, or plutonic, igneous rocks form when magma cools slowly below the Earth's surface. Most intrusive rocks have large, well-formed crystals. Examples include granite, gabbro, and diorite.


Granite

Gabbro

Diorite

Igneous Rocks

Rock Cycle