How many types of magma exist?

Different types of rock exist, but what about different types of magma? Magma mainly comes in three variants – mafic, intermediary, and felsic. They differ according to their contents of silicon dioxide, whose crystal version is known as quartz. When the magma types are liquid, they vary in thickness, makeup, and explosive force.

In a volcanic eruption, the liquid magma rises to Earth’s surface, hardens, and turns into different types of rock. Mafic magma becomes basalt, intermediary magma becomes andesite, and felsic magma becomes rhyolite. These rock types harden quickly on the surface, allowing the mineral crystals of the rock less time to crystallize, so they become smaller than 5 mm. If the magma types cool and harden deeper in the ground, it takes much longer, and the crystals grow bigger. In such cases, the hardened magma end up as gabbro, diorite, and granite.