mafic

adjective

maf·​ic ˈma-fik How to pronounce mafic (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a group of usually dark-colored minerals rich in magnesium and iron

Examples of mafic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The institution notes that Fuego's eruptions have become more mafic with time, meaning the volcano is expelling darker, denser lava with higher magnesium and iron content. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025 And my lab was just funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to study Plinian eruptions of mafic composition. Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2024 However, there is a group of mafic eruptions that are high in magnesium and iron that also have that magnitude. Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2024 Basalt is also derived from melting the mantle, but in that case, only 10 to 20 percent is typically melting thanks to fractional melting (the lowest temperature minerals melt first, leaving behind the more mafic minerals/elements). Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2016 The large shield volcano is similar in many ways to Kilauea, were many of the eruptions occur as mafic (low silica) eruptions of lava flows from fissures that open on the sides of the volcano. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2014 Basaltic lava is mafic, an abbreviation of two of its prevalent elements, magnesium and ferrum, derived from the Latin word for iron. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 24 Nov. 2015 Orange is hotter, in the intermediate range, and yellow is hotter still, in the mafic range. New York Times, 18 May 2018 Kilauea releases mafic magma, and the temperature at eruption is about 2,140 degrees Fahrenheit. New York Times, 18 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

New Latin magnesium + Latin ferrum iron + English -ic

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mafic was in 1912

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mafic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mafic. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

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