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Vesicle identification and geology

A small cavity in volcanic rock formed by the expansion and trapping of gas bubbles in solidifying lava or pyroclastic material. Vesicles are typically spherical to ellipsoidal and range from less than 1 mm to several centimeters in diameter. Highly vesicular rocks include pumice so vesicular it floats and scoria. Vesicles may later be filled with secondary minerals calcite, zeolites, chalcedony to form amygdules. Field: volcanology. Example: Vesicular basalt from the top of a Hawaiian lava flow may have 30–50% void space from trapped gas bubbles, while the dense interior of the same flow may have less than 5% vesicles.. Related terms: Pumice, Scoria, Amygdule, Volcanic gas.

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  • Pumice
  • Scoria

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.096023+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Vesicle mean in geology?
A small cavity in volcanic rock formed by the expansion and trapping of gas bubbles in solidifying lava or pyroclastic material. Vesicles are typically spherical to ellipsoidal and range from less than 1 mm to several centimeters in diameter. Highly vesicular rocks include pumice so vesicular it floats and scoria. Vesicles may later be filled with secondary minerals calcite, zeolites, chalcedony to form amygdules.
What is an example of Vesicle?
Vesicular basalt from the top of a Hawaiian lava flow may have 30–50% void space from trapped gas bubbles, while the dense interior of the same flow may have less than 5% vesicles.
Which earth-science field uses the term Vesicle?
Vesicle is used in volcanology.
Which terms are related to Vesicle?
Related terms in this reference are Pumice, Scoria, Amygdule, Volcanic gas.

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