Aphanerite[1] is anigneous rock whosemicrostructure is made up ofcrystals large enough to be distinguished with the unaidedhuman eye. In contrast, the crystals in anaphanitic rock are too fine-grained to be identifiable. Phaneritictexture forms whenmagma deep underground in theplutonic environment cools slowly, giving the crystals time to grow.
Phanerites are often described ascoarse-grained ormacroscopically crystalline.
