Describes the texture of an igneous rock where the individual mineral grains are large enough to be distinguished by the unaided eye. It indicates an intrusive origin, meaning the parent magma cooled slowly beneath the Earth's surface. Geologists rely on this textural descriptor in the field to immediately classify rock types and interpret their cooling history.
Heard on the job
We hit a phaneritic zone at 300 meters, which confirms we have entered the main pluton body.
Do not mix it up with
- Aphanitic: Phaneritic means the crystals are visible to the naked eye, whereas aphanitic means they are microscopic.