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  • Coarse-Grained Extrusive Rocks: Formation & Why They're Rare
    You would never expect to find a coarse-grained extrusive rock. Here's why:

    * Extrusive Rocks: These form when magma erupts onto the Earth's surface as lava and cools relatively quickly. The rapid cooling leaves little time for large crystals to form.

    * Coarse-Grained Rocks: These have large, visible crystals, indicating a slow cooling process. This occurs when magma cools deep underground (intrusive setting).

    Therefore, a coarse-grained texture is indicative of intrusive rocks, not extrusive rocks.

    Here are some examples of extrusive and intrusive rocks:

    * Extrusive: Basalt, rhyolite, obsidian, pumice

    * Intrusive: Granite, gabbro, diorite

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