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Volcanic Glass

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About 1 pages (69 words)
Obsidian Summary

Any glassy rock formed from lava or magma that has a chemical composition close to that of granite.

Such molten material may reach very low temperatures without crystallizing, but its viscosity may become very high. Because high viscosity inhibits crystallization, the combination of sudden cooling and loss of volatiles, as when lava extrudes from a volcanic vent, tends to chill the material to a glass rather than crystallize it.

This is the complete article, containing 69 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).

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    Volcanic Glass from Encyclopedia Brittanica. ©2009 Encyclopedia Brittanica. All rights reserved.

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