Book excerpt: IGNEOUS ROCKS AND PROCESSES A practical introduction to igneous petrology for students and practitioners The newly revised Second Edition of Igneous Rocks and Processes: A Practical Guide, delivers an authoritative introduction to igneous petrology and helps students to develop key skills and confidence in identifying igneous materials and in naming and interpreting unknown igneous rocks presented to them. It serves as both a conventional course text and a practical laboratory manual. The authors review igneous nomenclature and subsequently describe specific compositional categories of magmatic rocks. Each chapter covers definitions, mineralogy, eruption and emplacement processes, textures and crystallization processes, geotectonic distribution, geochemistry, and aspects of magma genesis. Additional chapters address phase equilibrium experiments and physical volcanology. This latest edition offers readers extensively updated chapters, as well as access to a companion website with supplementary material. It also provides: Thorough introductions to magmas, magmatic rocks, and magma differentiation Exercises for each chapter, with answers provided at the end A detailed summary of techniques and optical data for mineral identification using a polarizing microscope An introduction to petrographic calculations and an extensive glossary Perfect for geoscience students taking courses in igneous petrology, Igneous Rocks and Processes: A Practical Guide, second edition will also earn a place in the libraries of postgraduate students and researchers in the field.