Phacolith
Encyclopedia
A phacolith is a pluton parallel to the bedding plane or foliation
of folded country rock
. More specifically, it is a typically lens-shaped pluton
that occupies either the crest of an anticline
or the trough of a syncline
. In rare cases the body may extend as a sill
from the crest of an anticline through the trough of an adjacent syncline, such that in cross section
it has an S shape. In intensely folded terrain the hinge of folds would be areas of reduced pressure and thus potential sites for magma
migration and emplacement.
The term was coined and initially defined by Alfred Harker
in his The Natural History of Igneous Rocks in 1909.
Foliation
In mathematics, a foliation is a geometric device used to study manifolds, consisting of an integrable subbundle of the tangent bundle. A foliation looks locally like a decomposition of the manifold as a union of parallel submanifolds of smaller dimension....
of folded country rock
Country rock (geology)
Country rock is a geological term meaning the rock native to an area. It is similar and in many cases interchangeable with the terms basement and wall rocks....
. More specifically, it is a typically lens-shaped pluton
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
that occupies either the crest of an anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
or the trough of a syncline
Syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger layers closer to the center of the structure. A synclinorium is a large syncline with superimposed smaller folds. Synclines are typically a downward fold, termed a synformal syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger...
. In rare cases the body may extend as a sill
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
from the crest of an anticline through the trough of an adjacent syncline, such that in cross section
Cross section (geometry)
In geometry, a cross-section is the intersection of a figure in 2-dimensional space with a line, or of a body in 3-dimensional space with a plane, etc...
it has an S shape. In intensely folded terrain the hinge of folds would be areas of reduced pressure and thus potential sites for magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
migration and emplacement.
The term was coined and initially defined by Alfred Harker
Alfred Harker (petrologist)
Alfred Harker FRS was an English geologist who specialised in petrology and interpretive petrography. He worked for the Geological Survey of Scotland and conducted extensive surveying and geological studies of western Scotland and the Isle of Skye...
in his The Natural History of Igneous Rocks in 1909.