Andesite

Article by: Hobart M. King, PhD, RPG

Andesite: The specimen shown is about two inches (five centimeters) across and has a
porphyritic texture.

What is Andesite?
Andesite is the name of a family of fine-grained, extrusive igneous rocks that are usually
light to dark gray in color. They have a mineral composition that is intermediate
between granite and basalt. Andesite is a rock typically found in volcanoes above
convergent plate boundaries between continental and oceanic plates.

Igneous rock composition

chart: This chart shows that
andesite is typically composed of
plagioclase, amphiboles, and
micas; sometimes with minor
amounts of pyroxenes, quartz, or
orthoclase.
An Extrusive Igneous Rock
Andesite is typically found in lava flows produced by stratovolcanoes above subduction
zones. Because these lavas cooled rapidly at the surface, they are generally composed of
small crystals. The mineral grains are usually so small that they cannot be seen clearly
without the use of a hand lens or other magnifying device.

Some specimens that cooled rapidly contain a significant amount of glass, while others that
formed from gas-charged lavas have a vesicular or amygdaloidal texture.

Mineral Composition
Andesite often weathers to various shades of brown. In the field, weathered specimens must
be broken to properly see their color and their mineral composition. Classroom specimens
usually do not require breakage.

Andesite is rich in plagioclase feldspar and amphibole minerals. Quartz and pyroxene
minerals may be absent or present in small quantities. Small amounts of mica will be present
as biotite or muscovite. Andesite usually does not contain olivine. The accompanying chart
titled "Generalized Composition Ranges of Common Igneous Rocks" illustrates the mineral
composition of andesite.

Stratovolcanoes: Pavlof Volcano (right) and Pavlof Sister Volcano (left) are a pair of
symmetrical stratovolcanoes built of andesite flows and tephra on the Alaska Peninsula. Pavlof
Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Alaska. Photo by T. Miller, United States
Geological Survey.

Where Does Andesite Form?

Andesite and diorite are common rocks of the continental crust above subduction zones.
They generally form after an oceanic plate melts during its descent into the subduction zone
to produce a source of magma.

Diorite is a coarse-grained igneous rock that forms when the magma remains below Earth's
surface and cools slowly. Slow cooling facilitates the growth of large mineral crystals in the
rock. Andesite is a fine-grained rock that forms when the magma erupts onto the surface and
crystallizes quickly.

Andesite and diorite have a composition that is intermediate between basalt and granite. This
is because their parent magmas formed from the partial melting of a basaltic oceanic plate.
This magma may have received a granitic contribution by melting granitic rocks as it
ascended or mixed with granitic magma.

Pavlof Volcano - plate tectonics: Simplified plate tectonics cross-section showing how Pavlof
Volcano is located in the Aleutian Island chain, above a subduction zone, where basaltic crust of
the Pacific Plate is being partially melted at depth. The ascending magma then passes through
continental crust of the North America Plate, where it might mix with other magmas or be altered
by melting rocks of different composition.

The Geography of Andesite

Andesite derives its name from the Andes Mountains of South America. In the Andes it
occurs as lava flows interbedded with ash and tuff deposits on the steep flanks of
stratovolcanoes. Andesite stratovolcanoes are also found above subduction zones in Central
America, Mexico, Washington, Oregon, the Aleutian Arc of Alaska, Japan, Indonesia,
the Philippines, the Caribbean, and New Zealand, among other locations.

Andesite can also form away from the subduction zone environment. For example, it can
form at ocean ridges and oceanic hot spots from partial melting of basaltic rocks. It can also
form during eruptions at continental plate interiors where deep-source magma melts
continental crust or mixes with continental magmas. There are many other environments
where andesite might form.
Hornblende Andesite Porphyry: A specimen of andesite with large visible hornblende
phenocrysts. This type of rock could be called an "andesite porphyry" because of its texture. It
could also be called a "hornblende andesite" because of its composition. Photo by NASA.

Andesite Porphyry
Occasionally, andesites contain large, visible grains of plagioclase, amphibole, or pyroxene.
These large crystals are known as "phenocrysts." They begin forming when a magma, which
is cooling at depth, approaches the crystallization temperature of some of its minerals. These
high-crystallization-temperature minerals begin forming below the surface and grow to
visible sizes before the magma erupts.

When the magma erupts onto the Earth's surface, the rest of the melt crystallizes quickly.
This produces a rock with two different crystal sizes: large crystals that formed slowly at
depth (the "phenocrysts"), and small crystals that formed quickly at the surface (known as
"groundmass").

"Andesite porphyry" is the name used for these rocks with two crystal sizes. The name of an
abundant phenocryst mineral may be used as an adjective to the rock name. An example is
the hornblende andesite porphyry shown in the accompanying photo.
Andesite outcrop: Close view of an andesite lava flow at Brokeoff Volcano in California. Photo
by the United States Geological Survey.

Dissolved Gas and Explosive Eruptions

Some magmas that produce explosive eruptions above subduction zones contain enormous
amounts of dissolved gas. These magmas can contain several percent dissolved gas by
weight! This gas can have several origins, examples of which include the following:

 Water vapor produced when ocean-floor sediments on an oceanic plate are heated in a
subduction zone.
 Water vapor produced when hydrous minerals dehydrate in the heat of a subduction
zone.
 Carbon dioxide produced when rising magma encounters carbonate rocks, such
as limestone, marble, or dolomite.
 Water vapor produced when a rising magma chamber encounters groundwater.

At depth, these gases can be dissolved in the magma like carbon dioxide dissolved in a can of
cold beer. If that can of beer is shaken and suddenly depressurized by opening the can, the
gas and the beer will erupt from the opening.

A volcano behaves in a similar manner. A rising magma chamber can instantly be

depressurized by a landslide, faulting, or other event and an enormous volume of rapidly
expanding gas will explode through the overlying rock.

Many volcanic plumes and ash eruptions occur when gas-charged andesitic magmas erupt.
The gas pressure that causes the eruption blows large amounts of tiny rock and magma
particles into the atmosphere.

These particles, known as volcanic ash, can be blown high into the atmosphere and carried
long distances by the wind. They often cause problems for aircraft operating downwind from
the volcano.
Catastrophic eruptions like Mount St. Helens, Pinatubo, Redoubt, and Novarupta were
produced by andesitic magmas with enormous amounts of dissolved gas under high pressure.
It is difficult to imagine how a magma can contain enough dissolved gas to produce one of
these eruptions. Magma is Earth's most powerful solvent.

Andesite Flow: One of numerous massive andesite flows from the Zarembo Island area of
southeastern Alaska. They are gray pyroxene and feldspar porphyrys that weather to maroon or
green. Photo by USGS.

The Elusive Definition of Andesite

The formal definition of andesite is problematic. Many authors have classified igneous rocks
based upon their chemical and mineralogical compositions. However, none of these
classifications are in perfect agreement.

For a fine-grained rock like andesite, these classifications are impossible to use precisely
when in the field or the classroom. They require chemical or mineralogical analyses that are
usually not available, affordable, or practical.

If you examine a rock that appears to be andesite, but you are not confident that it meets the
mineralogical or chemical classification of andesite, you might properly call it an
"andesitoid" rock. What does that mean? It means that the rock looks like andesite, but, a
microscopic examination or chemical analysis might prove you wrong!