Igneous rock composed of crystals visible to the naked eye
A phanerite[1] is an
igneous rock whose
microstructure is made up of
crystals large enough to be distinguished with the unaided
human eye. In contrast, the crystals in an
aphanitic rock are too fine-grained to be identifiable. Phaneritic
texture forms when
magma deep underground in the
plutonic environment cools slowly, giving the crystals time to grow.
^Monroe, James Stewart; Wicander, Reed; Hazlett, Richard W. (2007). "4". In Dodson, Keith (ed.). Physical Geology: Exploring the Earth. Earth Sciences (6 ed.). USA: Thompson Brooks/Cole. p. 115.
ISBN0495011487.