Colour Index

colour index, in igneous petrology, the sum of the volume percentages of the coloured, or dark, minerals contained by the rock. Volume percentages, accurate to within 1 percent, can be estimated under the microscope by using a point-counting technique over a plane section of the rock; volumes also can be approximated visually in hand specimens in the field.

As originally presented, the terms felsic and mafic were used in a broadly descriptive sense to indicate the relative abundances of light-coloured and dark-coloured minerals, respectively, in an igneous rock. The most common light-coloured minerals are the feldspars, feldspathoids, and silica or quartz, giving the term felsic; other felsic minerals are corundum, zircon, muscovite, lepidolite, and calcite. The abundant dark-coloured minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite, garnet, tourmaline, iron oxides, sulfides, and metals. Most minerals fall within these two broad groups.

Broadly speaking, mineral colour indicates the specific gravity of the mineral; minerals that are lighter in colour are also lighter in weight. Darker minerals typically contain more of the relatively heavy elements, notably iron, magnesium, and calcium.