Vitrophyre
Sign in to savethumb|Example of a rhyolite|rhyolitic vitrophyre; large phenocrysts are set in the black glassy matrix
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- Vitrophyre (Mount Belknap Volcanic Series, Lower Miocene, 18.9 Ma; Marysvale Valley, Piute County, Utah, USA) 2.jpg
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thumb|Example of a rhyolite|rhyolitic vitrophyre; large phenocrysts are set in the black glassy matrix
A vitrophyre is a porphyritic volcanic rock in which phenocrysts are embedded in a glassy matrix. Vitrophyres are contrasted from typical porphyritic rocks in that the latter has both crystalline phenocrysts (larger grains) and a crystalline matrix (smaller grains), whereas the former has a distinctly glassy matrix. Vitrophyres can be alternatively described as rocks having vitrophyric texture. This texture results from the rapid quenching of a lava where phenocrysts had started to form prior to eruption.