Charnockite

Park, Adrianm F.

doi:10.1007/0-387-30845-8_37

Adrianm F. Park

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Science ((EESS))

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Charnockite is a felsic, melanocratic, holocrystalline, alkali granitic rock first described from the tombstone of Job Charnock in the graveyard of St. John's garrison church, Calcutta, India (Holland, 1900). The rock-type is widespread in the Madras area (whence the gravestone originated—St. Thomas Mtn.) and is known from much of the high-grade terrane of Peninsular India. Holland defined the rock as being of “granitic” composition with alkali feldspar and quartz that are typically clear but dark colored; the rock itself has a greasy appearance. The other essential phase in the assemblage is a pleochroic pyroxene, usually hypersthene, with a rhombic shape. The feldspathic component is dominated by K-feldspar, with albite or oligoclase as minor constituents. Garnet, biotite, iron-titanium oxides, sphene, apatite, zircon, and corundum are nonessential but frequent accessories. Myrmekitic and strained textures are very common in the Indian type examples (Fig. 1).

figure 1_0-387-30845-8_37 — **FIGURE 1**

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