What is Xenolith?
A fragment of country rock within a plutonic or volcanic rock. Xenolith is a piece of rock trapped in another type of rock.
Formation of Xenoliths
- In magma chambers, xenoliths may engulf along the boundaries of the magma chamber
- A piece of foreign rock may be torn out from the walls of an erupting lava conduit
- Explosive diatreme or picked up along the base of a flowing body of lava on the Earth’s surface
A fragment of country rock within a plutonic or volcanic rock. Xenolith is a piece of rock trapped in another type of rock.
Formation of Xenoliths
- In magma chambers, xenoliths may engulf along the boundaries of the magma chamber
- A piece of foreign rock may be torn out from the walls of an erupting lava conduit
- Explosive diatreme or picked up along the base of a flowing body of lava on the Earth’s surface