What is a xenolith?
Q: What is a xenolith?
A: A xenolith is a rock fragment that is surrounded by another rock.
Q: In which type of rock does xenolith occur most often?
A: Xenolith occurs most often in igneous rock.
Q: How does xenolith form in igneous rock?
A: Xenolith forms in igneous rock when magma is fluid enough to flow round more solid rock.
Q: Where can xenolith be found in igneous rock?
A: Xenolith may be found in the margins of a magma chamber, torn loose from the walls of a flow of lava or picked up along the ground by flowing lava on Earth's surface.
Q: What is a xenocryst?
A: A xenocryst is an individual foreign crystal included within an igneous body.
Q: What are the examples of xenocrysts?
A: Examples of xenocrysts are quartz crystals in a low-silica lava and diamonds in kimberlite diatremes.
Q: What does the presence of xenolith and xenocryst provide?
A: The presence of xenolith and xenocryst provides important information about the composition of the otherwise inaccessible mantle.
