Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

G1 : rock forming processes > G1 : rock forming processes KI1 (generation of magma) > Flashcards

G1 : rock forming processes KI1 (generation of magma) Flashcards

1
Q

what is magmatic differentitation?

A

a number of processes that cause a parent magma to evolve into magmas of different compositions. this leads to different igneous rocks being produced from a single parent magma.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is fractional crystallisation?

A

as olivine and pyroxene form at high temperatures, they use iron and magnesium from the magma in their crystal lattices. the high temperature plagioclase crystals are rich in calcium. the magma become depleted in iron, mg and ca. the remaining liquid becomes enriched in silica, potassium, na and h2o because the early formed minerals are poor in these elements. over time the composition of magma changes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is gravity settling?

A

crystals are denser than the liquid and settle out. early formed minerals (olivine and pyroxene) have a greater percentage of iron and are denser to sink to form s cumulate layer at the base of the intrusion or magma chamber. crystals that remain suspended in magma will react with that magma over time, following either side of the bowens reaction series, gravity settling removes crystals from remaining liquid so they can no longer react with magma changing the composition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is filter pressing?

A

during crystallisation of magma, there is a point where crystals and liquid exist together as a slushy mass. due to the weight of overlying crystals, the liquid gets squeezed out, forming a separate. layer above. this liquid is depleted in the elements which are incorporated into the early formed crystals and enriched in the elements which form felsic minerals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is the discontinuous series in bowens reaction?

A

the crystallisation of minerals that are rich in iron and magnesium with silica. in a mafic magma, olivine will be the first mafic mineral to form at a high temperature (>1500c). as the temperature lowers, pyroxene, then amphibole and finally biotite will form. if cooling takes place slowly then the early formed, high temperature minerals react with the magma to form the next mineral down the series.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

whats a reaction rim?

A

one mineral surrounding another, as a result of a reaction between the inner mineral with the melt, to form the outer mineral
Incomplete reactions for the discontinuous series
Corona structure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is the continuous series in bowens reaction

A

describes the evolution of the plagioclase feldspars as they evolve from being calcium-rich (anorthite) to more sodium-rich (albite)
anorthite-bytownite-laradorite-andesine-oligolcase-albite

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

whats a zoned crystal?

A

a crystal starts to grow of plagioclase feldspar when the temperature is high. as the magma cools the crystal continues to grow with new layers forming, gradually becoming richer in Na.
Incomplete reaction for the continuous series

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

how is bowens reaction series significant in the weathering of crustal rocks

A

lower temperature of crystal formation is more resistant as it is more used to the conditions on the surface.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the largest and most significant geological deposits of PGE commonly rich in

A

Platinum and palladium together with igneous intrusions are associated with sulfide minerals in layered mafic or ultramafic igneous intrusions (cumulate deposit)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

When do magmatic sulfide deposits form

A

During the fractional crystallisation process when mafic magma becomes saturated in sulfide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What happens when magma can no longer hold sulfer in solution

A

The sulfer exsolves producing an immiscible sulfide liquid. Droplets from this liquid are denser than the magma and so sink through it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are siderophile elements

A

(Iron loving) platinum group elements and gold and nickel

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What do siderophile elements do

A

Preferentially form metallic bonds with iron and will concentrate in molten iron

The only place a liquid like this exists is in the Earth outer core

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What happens if siderophile elements do not have iron to react with

A

They behave like the chalcophile (ore loving) elements silver and copper and will concentrate in molten sulfide, bonding more readily with sulfer than with oxygen

They are therefore gathered up by sinking sulfide droplets and removed from the magma, to form layers that range from a few mm to a few m thick

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the most reasonable mechanism for the largest sulfide deposits

A

Assimilation of country rock that is rich in sulfer or silica contamination from assimilation of silica rich country rock, which is thought to decrease the solubility of sulfer in a mafic magma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

The skaergaard intrusion in Greenland

A

One of the most studied in the world and contains magmatic sulfide in layers rich in PGE, gold and selenium. It was intruded during the tertiary igneous province when the North Atlantic was opening

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What happens when molten rock becomes solid

A

As a magma crystallises the crystals that form with have a different composition from the melt. When the crystals separate from the rest of the magma as they grow, the chemistry of the magma changes. A single magma could form ultramafic, mafic, intermediate and solicit rocks if there is enough time for differentiation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

If a parent magma is mafic than in theory what will it produce

A

-peridotite at the base of the intrusion, rich in dense olivine
-gabbro forming the main part of the intrusion
-diorite may exist towards the top of the intrusion
-granite may form veins or a thin layer at the top of the intrusion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are major layered intrusions

A

Large mafic or ultramafic igneous intrusions that cooled slowly below the surface so there was time for them to form distinct layers. Most of the world platinum and chromium comes from them, giving an added incentive to understanding how they formed. Gravity settling is the key process in the key formation of layers of magnetite, chromite and platinum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

The palisades sill in New Jersey

A

Crops out along the Hudson River and is over 300m thick, it was intruded into Triassic sediments at depth of about 3km, so that it cooled slowly and has now been exposed by erosion. This sill can be divided into three sections, each of which shows a different igneous process

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

1st section of the palisades sill

A

Only parts to cool rapidly are the upper and lower edges, which were in contact with cold country rock. These chilled margins have fine crystals and most importantly have the same composition as the original magma as they cooled before and differentiation took place. The rock is a basalt.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

2nd section of the palisades sill

A

As the main part of the intrusion began to early formed olivine crystals began to sink by gravity settling. Olivine has a density of 3.8gcm-3 compared to 3.0gcm-3 for a mafic magma. The olivine crystals form a layer 10m thick at the base of the intrusion, just above the lower chilled margin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

3rd section of the palisades sill

A

Crystallisation was taking place from both the top and bottom as the crystals grew in cooler areas. The main rock forming the intrusion has medium sized crystals and is a dolerite. The last part of the magma to crystallised is about 200m above the base and is a gabbro with coarse crystals, indicating it cooled slowly, as a result of fractionation, the composition is lower in mafic minerals than the original as the magma is depleted in iron and magnesium by the time the rock formed. It is richer in plagioclase as the last part of the magma to crystallise is enriched in silica

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Hekla volcano in Iceland

A

Should be mafic as it is on a divergent plate margin, yet it erupts intermediate lave and has erupted rholitic lava in the past. The longer the period between eruptions the more acidic the magma is. If there is a long interval between eruption fractionation in the magma chamber causes more mafic minerals, which crystallise at high temperatures, to be found at the bottom and Felicia minerals at the top. Each ruction takes magma from the top of the magma chamber and then from lower in the chamber

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

The bushveld igneous complex in South Africa

A

Large layered igneous intrusion 400km x 800km with a volume of at least 1,000,000km3. It varies in thickness by reaches 9km in places. Formed at least 2 billion years ago, the complex contains some of the richest ore deposits on earth and the largest reserves of platinum group elements

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What magmas are Felicia

A

Granitic and rhyolitic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What magmas are mafic

A

Basaltic, (gabbro and dolerite)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Magma formation

A

Pressure release
- the base of the crust is hot enough to melt mantle rock
-due to high pressure the rock does not melt
-a drop in pressure indicates “decompressional melting”
-pressure drops when hot rock rises (partial melting) to shallower depths

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Why to magmas vary chemically

A

-initial source rock composition
-partial melting
-assimilation
-fractional crystallisation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Why do plutonic intrusions and larger igneous provinces often display a range of different rock types

A

-different composition of original magma
-magma mixing
-contamination of the magma by country rock assimilation
-evolution of a parent magma to produce one or more daughter magma through magmatic differentiation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is magma mixing

A

Factors like density and thermal contrast keep different magmas separated. A vigorous stirring mechanism such as convection within the chamber is required to produce a magma that has an intermediate composition. The result combines the characteristics of the two magmas, often magma mixing is incomplete, resulting in blobs of one rock suspended within the other.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Stoping (contamination/assimilation)

A

Blocks of country rock from conduits or the walls/roof of the magma chamber are broken off by rising magma and incorporated into the magma as xenoliths, if these xenoliths melt and become assimilated into the magma they can contaminate it and change its bulk composition.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Why does magma migrate

A

It has a lower density that surrounding rock so rises upwards in the crust and may breach the surface (volcano). This transfers mass from deep to shallow parts of the earth, a crucial process in the earths system. Provides the raw material for soil, atmosphere and ocean

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

How does magma move and what factors increase the migration

A

-injection into cracks
-melting overlying rocks
-squeezed by overburden
Lower viscosity eases movement. Lower viscosity from - higher temperature means more fractures, lower silica content, higher volatile content

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Effect of temperature of viscosity

A

Hotter - lower viscosity
Cooler - higher viscosity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Effect of volatile content of viscosity

A

Less volatiles - lower viscosity
More volatiles - higher viscosity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

Effect of silica content of viscosity

A

Less SiO2 (mafic) - lower viscosity
More SiO2 (Felisic) - higher viscosity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Volatile content in magmas

A

Magmas contain small amounts of dissolved gas which is released as pressure is removed. Magma formed by melting of mantle rock has low volatile content, but those formed by partial melting of crystal rocks are volatile rich. A high volatile content decreases viscosity, and is one of the main factors in enabling some highly viscous melts to reach the surface. The release of gas during eruption will be explosive if magma is both viscous and volatile rich

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Diapirism

A

Intruded buoyantly upward along fractures or zones of structural weakness through overlying rocks.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

What are enclaves

A

Aggregate of minerals or rock observed inside another larger rock body. Usually referred to such situations in plutonic rocks. Micro granular enclaves in Celsius plutons result from the introduction of mafic magma into the magma chamber an it’s subsequent cool following incomplete mixing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

Caldera

A

Collapsed volcano

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

Magmatic granite magma theory

A

Granite is derived by the crystal fractionation of magma

44
Q

Granitisation granite magma theory

A

Granite is formed “in situ” by ultra metamorphosis

45
Q

How does the magmatic theory involve Bowles reaction series

A

If crystal fractionation of a magma of basalt composition were to occur, one of its end products would be granite. Emplacements of granite plutons is synchronous to volcanic eruptions. Chemically, there is similarity in the composition of many granite plutons to their extrusive associates, the andecite-dacite-rhyolite series of rocks. This suggests there is a relationship between the emplacements of granite plutons and volcanism = orogenies

46
Q

How are upper crustal granitic bodies formed

A

Magma is formed by partial melting in lower crust, form upwelling of hot mantle material. Would occur above a subduction zone. Magma is segregated from the source rock and ascend along a fracture or other conduit, over time periods as short as year to hundreds of year. Magma is emplacements in the upper crust by lateral spread along planes of weakness, and then by vertical thickening. The time scale is hundreds to thousands of years

47
Q

What temperature is granite formed at

A

650-700

48
Q

Dry granite

A

Is rhyolite
The melting point is high and increases with depth. In normal circumstances continental rocks are never hot enough to melt when dry

49
Q

Wet granite

A

Is granite
Lower melting point that dry granite and decreases with increasing pressure

50
Q

How is wet granite magma formed

A

Deep burial of water bearing rocks
Area of high heat flow in the crust

51
Q

Water bearing minerals

A

Amphibole
Micas

52
Q

Why is rhyolite rare

A

Rises slowly as it is viscous. Cooled before it reaches the surface = granite. As it rises the pressure dropped this reduces the effect of water in reducing the melting point so the melting point rises and the magma solidifies when It crosses the solidus

53
Q

Hydrous granite

A

-presence of water lowers melting point
-melting point of 650
-due to the geothermal gradient gives this temperature at 20km
-this melt forms at shallow depth
As it moves upward it solidifies and therefore is not extruded

54
Q

Anhydrous granite

A

-absence of water rises the melting point to 1050
-the geothermal gradient is greater at a depth of 35km
Because the melting point is higher it stays in liquid form as it is extruded at the surface - rhyolite, ash, pumice, obsidian, ignimbrite

55
Q

How to measure the gradient of a geothermal

A

Gradient = temperature change / increase in depth

56
Q

What is the geothermal gradient in volcanic regions

A

30-50

57
Q

What is the geothermal gradient in ocean trenches

A

5-10

58
Q

What is the geothermal gradient in metamorphic rocks of the Canadian Shield

A

10

59
Q

Granite emplacements deep in crust beneath orogenic belt

A

Water source = melting of crust and water bearing minerals during subduction. The crystallisation of hydro bearing minerals acts to contain part of the magmatic water within a solidified igneous rock. Primordial water brought up from the deep mantle
Pressure source = mountain building, orogenic forces/compression
Source of heat = heat inside the earth - geothermal gradient

60
Q

Yosemite granite formations

A

1)Basic magma rises and ponds beneath the crust. Heating causes partial crystal melting liberating granitic magma
2)MASH - melting, assimilation, storage, homogenisation
3)mixing if crust and mantle derived melts produces volatile rich intermediate magmas with sufficiently low density to rise buoyantly through the crust

61
Q

Ocean to ocean margin magma

A

Sometimes more mafic or felsic in composition - dependant of the depth of magma generation
Shallow = basaltic intermediate
Deep = felsic

62
Q

Basaltic magma

A

Very fluid with low silica

-Hawaii and iceland

63
Q

Andesistic magma

A

Intermediate and is a common volcano

64
Q

Rhyolitic magma

A

Rare magma - Yellowstone and chaiten

65
Q

The solid solution series for discontinuous series

A

High temperature Mg rich olivine (forsterite) and low temperature Fe rich olivine (fayalite)
Magnesium is substituted for iron as temperature decreases

66
Q

Solid solution series for the continuous series

A

High temperature Ca rich anorthite and low temperature Na rich Albite
Calcium is substituted for potassium as temperature decreases

67
Q

Low temperature minerals in phase diagrams

A

When the two reaction series converge at a low temperature, the minerals that remain will not react with the remaining liquid. This final group of minerals to crystallise are the felsic minerals rich in silica. These are potassium feldspar followed by Muscovite mica and quarts at a temperature of 700c

68
Q

Where does pure forsterite occur

A

Metamorphosed mg rich limestones and dolomitic metamorphic rocks

69
Q

Where is Fo90-95 found

A

Ultramafic igneous rocks particularly dunkers and peridotites

70
Q

Where is Fo60-90 found

A

Mafic igneous rocks like basalts and gabbros and sometimes andesites where it occurs with plagioclase and pyroxene

71
Q

Where is Fa100-40 found

A

In Fe rich silica rich igneous rocks like rhyolite and granites

72
Q

How to calculate the spreading rates of MORs

A

Found by radiometrically dating ocean floor basalts a known distance from the MOR, and by using pelagic microfossils to find the age if sediments at known distances from the MOR

73
Q

Why is each MOR different

A

They have their own style of faulting, volcanic activity and spreading rate depending on the strength of the ocean crust, and is dependent on how cold and brittle the upper part of the lithospheric plate is as this alters its properties.

74
Q

What dies the rate of spreading govern

A

How much heat is carried upwards by magma and how quickly it is lost from the top of the magma chamber mostly by hydrothermal activity

75
Q

Slow spreading ridges e.g. the mid Atlantic ridge

A

South Atlantic - 4cm per year
North Atlantic - 2cm per year

76
Q

Slow spreading ridges attributes

A

Median rift valleys up to 20km wide and 3km deep with very rugged ‘mountains’ at the crest. Some parts of the ridge are covered by young lava flows and pillow eruptions. Other parts show faulting instead. Sonar images show vast areas of the ocean floors covered with rough abyssal hills on either side of the ridge

77
Q

Slow spreading ridges magma

A

Often insufficient partial melting to maintain a magma chamber although there may be mush zones where small volumes of melt exist within softened mantle. Magma chambers are short lived and discontinuous in extent along the axial rift. Each eruption is a distinct event. Some sections of the mid Atlantic ridge has small volcanic cones formed this way

78
Q

Fast spreading ridges e.g. the east pacific rise

A

Up to 16cm per year between the Anzac and pacific plates

79
Q

Fast spreading ridges attributed

A

High elevation, dome like topography resulting from many layers of lava built up from great supply of magma. Deep, hot rock rises quickly and more heat passes into the plate. Rock is a poor thermal conductor so heat cannot escape equally quick so the lithosphere becomes hotter, weaker and more ductile. The ridge crest cannot subside due to rising magma. There is no rift valley just a crack a long the smooth crest

80
Q

MOR effects on global sea level

A

Increased activity at an MOR making it bigger taking up more space in the oceans this causes a rise in sea level and the displacement of water onto the continents. Calculations of the volume of MORs correspond well with the vail sea level curve. Long term high sea levels correspond with times of high plate velocities when lots of new material was being formed by sea floor spreading.
A high rate of sea floor spreading leads to an increase in subduction causing subsidence and flooding if continental margins

81
Q

Decompression melting

A

Rising magma experiences a decrease in pressure. Expansion causes a reduction in temperature with the loss of heat as molecules use heat the move apart. Melting occurs as the melting point also decreases as the pressure decreases

82
Q

What occurs at depths

A

At depths of 100 km to 200 km the mantle is at temperatures if about 1300c close the the melting point of peridotite. It is very hot and soft but still solid because the pressure is high.

83
Q

What changes take place as mantle material rises below the MOR

A

1) the pressure drops and the mantle material expands, it experiences a cooling effect due to solely the increase in volume. This is an a diabetic change
2) as the pressure drops the molecules in the rock move more freely and therefore the melting point falls

84
Q

What happens when rising mantle rock is hot enough and rises enough

A

It starts to melt by decompression melting. Once me,ting starts, about 3% of the rock melts for each 10km that the rock rises. More melt forms if the mantle beneath the MOR is hotter than normal, as it will start to melt deeper down, as happens with mantle plumes

85
Q

What does the amount of magma produced depend on

A

The latent heat of fusion (melting). It takes a lot of heat to change silicates from the solid to the liquid state, which helps to explain why melting of mantle material is usually partial

86
Q

What does seismic tomography suggest

A

Some magma chambers are made of a thin layer of molten rock lying on top of a partly molten mush zone the melted zone is monkey a few metres thick and about a km wide. Magma chambers with erupt magma all the time are said to be continuous, as at fast spreading MORs

87
Q

What happens as the melt forms as thin films between the crystals

A

The liquid moves upwards joining other films of melt, growing in size and accumulating in a shallow magma chamber where it is cooled by the ocean above, including by infiltration of sea water, as more melt percolated upwards, the pressure inside the chamber rise until the tool of the shallow chamber splits apart to give a narrow crack, about a metre wide. The pressurised melt flows up the cracks and erupts onto the sea floor as basalt lava. The melt in the crack solidified to form a dolerite dyke as the system cools, the magma chamber solidified to form the gabbro of the lower ocean crust below the sheeted dykes and pillow lavas

88
Q

How does the thickness of the oceanic crust reflect the amount of melting.

A

At normal mantle temperatures, enough melt forms to create ocean crust that is 7km thick, under Iceland, the mantle is much hotter due to a mantle plume. There is much more melting and the crust is up to 20km thick, as determined by gravity surveys

89
Q

Why is it only possible to locate magma chambers that are molten

A

If the chamber solidifies it is hidden from seismic surveys. This applies to 90% of volcanoes. And by the time the new magma is formed perhaps 20000 years later, the old chamber will have been added to the lithosphere and spread away from the ridge

90
Q

What are ocean core complexes

A

Large domes hills on the sea floor about the size of Ben Nevis with striations (grooves) clearly visible from top to bottom. Most scientists agree that these grooved surfaces are faults (detachment faults), where lots of small amounts of motion over time has built up these hills

91
Q

What happens in the symmetrical mode of spreading

A

Ductile asthenosphere wells up to fill the gap and partially melts (10%). The melt sues and solidifies to form gabbro plutons, dolerite dykes and basaltic kavas at the crust. The melt may accumulate in one of more small mid crystal magma chambers on the way up. Once the crust has formed, the stresses pulling the plates apart form normal faults, with displacements of 100m, which adds some 5-10% of strain. The structure if both plates is similar as are their accretion or spreading rates; new material is added equally to both sides

92
Q

How is the newly discovered asymmetric mode of spreading different

A

This mechanisms is triggered when less melt is delivered from the mantle, so a thinner crust is formed, and some of the normal faults may reach as far as the mantle. If seawater can percolate down then to reach peridotite it will react to produce the mineral serpentine, and the rock serpentinite (very weak) and lubricates the fault, making it easy to continue slipping. Such faults may penetrate right through the lithosphere (detachment fault) and accumulate displacements 10s of Kms over millions of years. The hanging wall place receives less melt than normal and so is thinner. The football plate is formed by pulling mantle material up. However, in some places sampling suggests their may be significant amounts of gabbro intruded into it. If all the plate separation is taken up by slip on the detachment fault, then no new material will be added to the hanging wall plate, and spreading will be 100% asymmetrical

93
Q

What will autosub measure during the research if sea floor spreading

A

-Variations in the earths magnetic field - infer the spreading rate of each plate and compare this between areas if symmetric and asymmetric spreading.
-also measure high resolution topography (shape of sea floor), showing details of volcanoes and faults and will measure quantity’s such as the cloudiness of the seawater which may show the presence of hydrothermal plumes

94
Q

Quartz (stability)

A

Stable at the earths surface as a result of it being resistant to weathering and erosion and resistant to being altered

95
Q

Olivine (stability)

A

Stable in the mantle but easily altered, weathered, eroded and reacts to change its surface at the earths surface

96
Q

Peridotite composition

A

Mainly consists of olivine. The crystals are bright green and usually large (5mm) clearly visible

97
Q

What does the top layer of basalt have at the mid Atlantic ridge

A

Many cracks, fissures and faults

98
Q

What happens when sea water sinks into cracks in the top layer of basalt at mid ocean ridges

A

It is warmed by the heat of the mantle below and as it is warmed it begins to rise again this then reacts with olivine and forms mineral serpentine which makes up the rock serpentinite.

99
Q

How does serpentinite form

A

Sea water sinks into cracks in the top layer of basalt at a MOR and is heated which causes it to rise and react with mineral olivine to form mineral serpentine which forms serpentinite rock

100
Q

What is the texture of serpentinite

A

Soap like and weak texture, which allows the rock to slip
Feels smooth and slippery

101
Q

What does serpentinite do the faults

A

It lubricates them which exacerbates the rate of slippage of the fault. So deeper peridotite is brought nearer to the ocean surface, thus peridotite reacts with the warm seawater in the fault and more serpentine is formed (cycle continues)

102
Q

What happens with serpentinite at subduction zones

A

Old, cold, dense, thick oceanic lithosphere starts to descend beneath the less dense continental lithosphere. The oceanic crust still contains the hydrous minerals such as serpentine, when the oceanic crust descends about 100km deep the water from the hydrous minerals is released due to heat and pressure of the environment. The water rises and causes overlying mantle to melt and magma is formed the chemistry of this magma is complex

103
Q

What type of magma is formed at subduction zones

A

Andesitic with high silica content, with trapped gases where the only way to escape is through violent explosive eruptions. E.g. the Andes and other similar chain volcanoes behind subduction zones such and Indonesia and japan

104
Q

What is magma at ocean ridges like

A

E.g. Hawaii
Formed of oceanic basalt so this magma is lower in silica and resulting eruptions are mainly runny lava, gas can escape easily and eruptions are rare

105
Q

What state is the mantle

A

It is solid not liquid

106
Q

Why do rocks partially melt

A

As they are a mixture of minerals there is not single melting point so it will begin to partially melt when individual minerals exceed their melting temperatures

107
Q

How does the mantle source rock remain completely solid while still producing liquid

A

Miner,as with the lowest melting temperatures do so first along the edges of crystals, and that all the pockets of melt produced are linked (like a sponge) with the enormous pressure and the plastic nature of the remaining rock at depth the solid crystals are squeezed into the pockets of liquid melt which is forced to flow out (squeezing a sponge dry) this liquid flows out and collects in spherical regions around a km in diameter these absorb melt from the surrounding zones and rise quickly to the surface is waves.

G1 : rock forming processes (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions