View source for Mafic

==Mineralogy ==
[[File:Muséum de Nantes - 607 - Apatite (Canada).jpg|thumb|192x192px|Apatite]]
The term ''mafic'' is still widely used for dark-colored ferromagnesian minerals.<ref name="Jackson1997" /> Modern classification schemes, such as the [[International Union of Geological Sciences]] (IUGS) classification of igneous rocks, include some light-colored ferromagnesian minerals, such as [[melilite]], in the mafic mineral fraction.<ref name="lebas-streckeisen-1991">{{Cite journal|last1=Le Bas|first1=M. J.|last2=Streckeisen|first2=A. L.|title=The IUGS systematics of igneous rocks|journal=Journal of the Geological Society|volume=148|issue=5|pages=825–833|doi=10.1144/gsjgs.148.5.0825|bibcode=1991JGSoc.148..825L|year=1991|citeseerx=10.1.1.692.4446|s2cid=28548230}}</ref> [[Accessory mineral]]s, such as [[zircon]] or apatite, may also be included in the mafic mineral fraction for purposes of precise classification.<ref name="PhilpottsAgue2009">{{cite book |last1=Philpotts |first1=Anthony R. |last2=Ague |first2=Jay J. |title=Principles of igneous and metamorphic petrology |date=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=9780521880060 |edition=2nd |page=137}}</ref> 

In Earth's interior, this ferromagnesian dominance is reflected in the mantle's composition. [[Bridgmanite]], a magnesium and iron-rich silicate, constitutes the majority of Earth's [[lower mantle]] and is consistent with its ultramafic [[geochemical]] character. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Katsura |first=Tomoo |date=2025-02-01 |title=Phase relations of bridgmanite, the most abundant mineral in the Earth's lower mantle |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11787361/ |journal=Communications Chemistry |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=28 |doi=10.1038/s42004-024-01389-8 |issn=2399-3669 |pmc=11787361 |pmid=39893284}}</ref>