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Igneous

Rocks:
Forged By
Fire

-Igneous rocks (from the


Latin ignis, or fire) form as
molten rock cools and
solidifies.
- Igneous rocks and
metamorphic rocks,
derived from igneous
parents, make up about
95 percent of the Earths
crust.
- The mantle, which
accounts for more than 82
percent of the Earths
volume, is also composed
of igneous rock. Thus, Earth
can be described as a huge
mass of igneous rocks
covered with a thin veneer
of sedimentary rocks and

Where Do Igneous Rocks Come


From?
Igneous rocks form
from a material called
magma, which is
created when intense
heat and pressures
melt solid rock located
in the crust and upper
mantle of the Earth.
General characteristics of magma:
Parent material of igneous rocks
Forms from partial melting of rocks
inside Earth

How Does Magma Make Igneous


Rocks?
- Igneous rocks can

be described as
intrusive and
plutonic (formed
from magma inside
the Earth), or
extrusive and
volcanic (formed
from lava above the
-Earths
Igneous
rocks that form below the Earths surface are
surface).
called intrusive igneous rocks (or plutonic). The word
plutonic comes from Pluto, the name for the Greek
god of the underworld.
- They form when magma enters a pocket or chamber
underground that is relatively cool and solidifies into
crystals as it cools very slowly.

Characteristics of Magma
Magma consists of three
components:
A liquid portion, called melt,
that is composed of mobile
ions
Solids, if any, are silicate
minerals that have already
crystallized from the melt
Volatiles, which are gases
dissolved in the melt,
including water vapor (H2O),
carbon dioxide (CO2), and
sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Characteristics of Magma
- A major portion of all magma is silica, which is a
compound of silicon (the second most abundant
element on Earth), and oxygen (the most abundant
element on Earth). Magma also contains gases, which
expand as the magma rises.
- Magma that is high in silica resists flowing, so
expanding gases are trapped in it. Pressure builds up
until the gases blast out in a violent, dangerous
explosion.
- Magma that is
relatively poor in silica
flows easily, so gas
bubbles move up
through it and escape
fairly gently.

Characteristics of Magma
Role of heat
- Temperature increases
within Earths upper crust
(called the geothermal
gradient) average between
20oC to 30oC per kilometer
- Rocks in the lower crust
and upper mantle are near
their melting points
- Any additional heat (from
rocks descending into the
mantle or rising heat from
the mantle) may induce
melting

Characteristics of Magma
Role of pressure
- An increase in confining pressure causes an
increase in a rocks melting temperature or
conversely, reducing the pressure lowers the
melting temperature
- When
confining
pressures
drop,
decompression
melting
occurs

Characteristics of Magma
Role of volatiles
Volatiles (primarily water) cause rocks to melt
at lower temperatures
This is particularly important where oceanic
lithosphere descends into the mantle

Characteristics of Magma
Sometimes as it is forming, magma can change its
composition. This may result in different types of magma
coming out in one volcanic event.
- Assimilation: Changing
a magmas
composition by the
incorporation of
foreign matter
(surrounding rock
bodies) into a magma
- Magmatic
differentiation:
Separation of a melt
from earlier formed
crystals to form a
different
composition of
magma

Geology and Chemistry


When scientistsConnect!
began observing different

compositions of lavas coming from various volcanic


events, this led them to wonder if there was a way
to use this information to learn more about the
various igneous rocks that form.
One scientist, N.L. Bowen, used this
information to demonstrate that as a magma
cools, minerals crystallize in a systematic
fashion based on their melting points.
Bowens reaction series, as it is called today,
shows us temperature and mineral content are
the main determinants of how crystal
structures will change and evolve (and
ultimately, which type of chemical
composition an igneous rock will have).

-During crystallization (as the magma cools), the


composition of the liquid portion of the magma
continually changes. At the higher temperatures
associated with mafic and intermediate magmas, the
general progression can be separated into two

Bowens Reaction Series


Explained

The continuous branch describes the


evolution of the plagioclase feldspars as
they evolve from being calcium-rich to more
sodium-rich.

Bowens Reaction Series


Explained

-The discontinuous branch describes the formation


of the mafic minerals olivine, pyroxene, amphibole,
and biotite mica.

Bowens Reaction Series


Explained
-The weird thing that
Bowen found concerned the
discontinuous branch.
-At a certain temperature a magma might produce
olivine, but if that same magma was allowed to cool
further, the olivine would "react" with the residual
magma, and change to the next mineral on the series
(in this case pyroxene). Continue cooling and the
pyroxene would convert to amphibole, and then to
biotite.
-Mighty strange stuff, but if you consider that most
silicate minerals are made from slightly different
proportions of the same 8 elements (O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca,
Na, K, Mg), all we're really doing here is adjusting the
internal crystalline lattice to achieve stability at

So, What Does This Mean


For Igneous Rocks?
- Understanding
the way magma
forms and
solidifies helps us
know WHY we
have different
textures and
compositions for
various igneous
rocks.

Properties of Igneous Rocks

Igneous rocks are composed primarily of silicate minerals


Dark (or ferromagnesian) silicates

Olivine

Pyroxene

Amphibole

Biotite Mica

Light (or nonferromagnesian) silicates

Quartz

Muscovite Mica

Feldspar

Properties of Igneous Rocks

Main Differences of Igneous


Granitic composition: Rocks
Composed of lightcolored silicates
Felsic (feldspar and
silica) in
composition
Contains high
amounts of silica
(SiO2)
Major
constituents
Granitic
magmas are higher in silica and
of continental
crust than other magmas
therefore
more viscous
Because of their viscosity, they lose their
mobility before reaching the surface and tend to
produce large plutonic structures

Main Differences of Igneous


Rocks
Basaltic composition:
Composed of dark
silicates and
calcium-rich
feldspar
Mafic (magnesium
and ferrum, for
iron) in
composition
More dense than
granitic rocks

- Basaltic magmas form at


mid-ocean ridges by
decompression melting or at
subduction zones

Comprise the
ocean floor as well

- Large outpourings of
basaltic magma are common

Main Differences of Igneous


Rocks
Other compositional groups:
Intermediate (or
andesitic) composition
Contain at least 25 percent
dark silicate minerals
Associated with
explosive volcanic
activity
Ultramafic composition
Rare composition that
is high in magnesium
and iron
Composed entirely of
ferromagnesian

Physical Properties of Igneous


Texture in igneous Rocks
rocks is determined by the size
and arrangement of mineral grains, which is
usually determined by when/how a rock and
crystals were formed.

Factors That Determine Crystal


Size
Rate of cooling
Slow rate
promotes the
growth of fewer
but larger crystals
Fast rate forms
many small
crystals
Very fast rate
forms glass
Amount of silica
(SiO2) present
Amount of dissolved

Types of Igneous Textures


Aphanitic (fine-grained)
texture
Rapid rate of cooling
of lava or magma
Microscopic crystals
May contain vesicles
(holes from gas
bubbles)
Phaneritic (coarsegrained) texture
Slow cooling
Crystals can be
identified without a

Aphanitic Basalt

Phaneritic Diorite

Types of Igneous Textures


Porphyritic texture
Minerals form at
different temperatures
as well as differing rates
Large crystals, called
phenocrysts, are
embedded in a matrix of
smaller crystals, called
the groundmass
Glassy texture
Very rapid cooling of
molten rock
Resulting rock is called
obsidian

Porphyritic Andesite

Glassy Obsidian

Types of Igneous Textures


Pyroclastic texture
Various fragments
ejected during a
violent volcanic
eruption
Textures often appear
to more similar to
sedimentary rocks
Pegmatitic texture
Exceptionally coarse
grained
Form in late stages of
crystallization of
granitic magmas

Pyroclastic Tuff

Pegmatite

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