AS Igneous Processes Flashcards
Adiabatic process
a thermodynamic process in which no heat enters or leaves the system during expansion or compression.
Adiabatic cooling
occurs when crust or mantle material rises, undergoes expansion and the temperature falls; with no loss or gain of thermal energy.
Adiabatic heating
occurs when crust or mantle material descends and temperature rises as it contracts; with no loss or gain of thermal energy.
Divergent plate margins
occur where two plates are moving apart and magma is riding up between them.
Partial melting
occurs where some of the minerals in a rock melt to form a magma.
Hot spots
are formed by a fixed mantle plume bringing magma to the surface.
Convergent plate margins
are where two plates are colliding and magma is formed above a subduction zone or deep in the crust.
Batholith
a very large igneous intrusion, with an undefined depth, in the Earth’s crust.
Decompression melting
accounts for most volcanism, including mid-ocean ridges and hot spots. Decompression of the ultramafic peridotite causes partial melting and produces mafic magmas by decompression melting.
Concordant intrusions
are parallel to the existing beds.
Discordant intrusions
cut across the existing beds.
Country rock
any rock into which an igneous rock intrudes.
Dyke
a discordant, sheet-like intrusion.
Minor intrusions
cool at hypabyssal depth below the surface and include sills and dykes.
Sill
a concordant, sheet-like intrusion.
Diapir
a body of relatively low density material that pierces and rises up through overlying material of a higher density.
Contact
where the igneous rock meets with country rock.
Baked margin
in the country rock where it was heated by the intrusion and altered.
Chilled margin
where the igneous rock has cooled rapidly so it has fine crystals.
Major intrusions
are plutonic and cool deep below the surface and include batholiths.
Plutons
large igneous intrusive bodies. If they are greater than 100 km² then they are called batholiths, usually made of several plutons.
Batholith
a large igneous intrusion which may be an aggregate of plutons.