Deep secrets of a sun and surf resort in the Atlantic

Abstract

The majority of igneous rocks can be classified into either the basalt–gabbro group, or the rhyolite–granite group. However, there also exist a wide range of rocks whose composition lies outside these broad groupings, some of which are compositionally extreme and contain many rare minerals, sometimes as essential components. Petrologists have always interested themselves in these unusual rock types, just as collectors always value rare items over the commonplace. Many of these unusual rock types have been given weird and wonderful names, driving non‐petrologists to distraction, although a more scientific system of nomenclature has yet to receive general acclaim. The giving of a plethora of names to igneous rocks was largely a phenomenon of the early years of petrology in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and many will be surprised to learn that new names are still being coined as with the, as yet unauthorized, bermudite, not surprisingly, called after the island of Bermuda.