{"id":1761,"date":"2014-09-16T16:31:09","date_gmt":"2014-09-16T16:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waltonsons.com\/wp\/?page_id=1761"},"modified":"2014-10-31T05:24:08","modified_gmt":"2014-10-31T05:24:08","slug":"rhyolite","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/waltonsons.com\/?page_id=1761","title":{"rendered":"Rhyolite"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rhyolite<\/a><\/p>\n

Rhyolite is an extrusive igneous rock, a felsic, silica-rich volcanic rock that includes obsidian<\/i> and pumice.\u00a0 It has a composition similar to granite but has a much smaller grain size.\u00a0 It is composed of the light-colored silicates and is usually buff to pink in color.\u00a0 Occasionally it is light gray.\u00a0 Rhyolite is very fine grained with an aphanitic texture \u2014 a crystalline structure that is very fine.\u00a0 Because of rapid cooling, it frequently contains voids and glassy fragments.<\/p>\n

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\"Rhyolite<\/a>Rhyolite weighs roughly one-half as much as limestone and granite, does not crumble and is virtually impervious to the elements.\u00a0 It is commonly used as surface veneer that provides a colorful and rough-hewn surface.\u00a0 It is sometimes used as a decorative rock in landscaping.<\/p>\n

\"Rhyolite<\/a>Rhyolite is much less common than granite but there are large lava flows and deposits of rhyolite in Yellowstone National Park<\/i>, WY.\u00a0 Rhyolite was used for the lower walls of the Eagle Store in West Yellowstone.\u00a0 In the Amargosa Desert<\/i>, the gold mining ghost town of Rhyolite is named for the prevailing rocks from a southwestern Nevada volcanic field, which contain gold ore deposits in a series of rhyolitic lava flows.\u00a0 Castle Rock Rhyolite<\/i> or Wall Mountain Tuff<\/i> has been mined from Castle Rock, CO since the 1870s.<\/p>\n

PHOTOS:<\/strong><\/p>\n