philippines Flashcards
Specifically, the heat generated during the Earth’s formation came from the following sources: accretion energy, adiabatic compression, core formation energy and decay of short-lived radio-isotopes.
- Primordial heat
The heat generated by long-term radioactive decay): main sources are the four long-lived isotopes (large half- life), namely K40, Th232, U235 and U238 that continuously produces heat over geologic time.
- Radioactive heat
The temperature increase with depth into Earth (the non-linear temperature/depth curve)
Geothermal gradient or geotherm
Temperature gradient in the crust: ~25°C/km
Based on the geotherm curve above, it can be deduced that the mantle is considerably hotter than the crust, and the core is much hotter than the mantle.
Core-mantle boundary
3,700°C
formation came from the following sources
:accretion energy, adiabatic compression, core formation energy and decay of short-lived radio-isotopes.
Inner-core – outer-core boundary
5,000°C±500°C
Earth’s center
6,400°C±600°C
How the Earth’s internal heat is redistributed:
conduction, convection and radiation
occurs at the mantle but not between the core and mantle or even between the asthenosphere and lithosphere (except at sea-floor spreadingzones).The only heat transfer mechanism in these transition zones is through conduction.
Convection
A molten and semi-molten rock mixture found under the surface of the Earth
Magma
This mixture is usually made up of four parts:
- Melt - a hot liquid base
- Minerals crystallized by the melt
- Solid rocks incorporated into the melt from the surrounding confines
- Dissolved gases
originates in the lower part of the Earth’s crust and in the upper portion of the mantle.
Magma
All other things being equal, every mineral has a distinct melting point. In the mantle, heat is brought upward by convection. As hot rocks convect upward they transfer heat to cooler rocks lying above them, which may melt.
- Temperature
All other things being equal, the greater the pressure, the less likely materials are to melt. (This explains why the asthenosphere is limited to a shallow region of the mantle and the inner core is solid despite being hotter than the liquid outer core.) When rocks experience decompression without losing their heat, they can experience decompression melting. Consider the fate of hot rocks rising through the mantle from a hot spot.
- Pressure:
Generally, the addition of substances like water or CO2 to a mineral lowers its melting point. In this case, the shape of the melting curve for peridotite changes.
- Volatile substances
The decrease in pressure affecting a hot mantle rock at a constant temperature permits melting forming magma. This process of hot mantle rock rising to shallower depths in the Earth occurs in mantle plumes, beneath rifts and beneath mid-ocean ridges.
- Melting due to decrease in pressure (decompression melting):
- When volatiles mix with hot, dry rock, the volatile decreases the rock’s melting point and they help break the chemical bonds in the rock to allow melting.
- Melting as a result of the addition of volatiles—compounds that have low boiling points (flux melting):
A rising magma from the mantle brings heat with it and transfer heat to their surrounding rocks at shallower depths which may melt.
- Melting resulting from heat transfer from rising magma (heat transfer melting):
The rising magma in mantle convection cell brings heat to the surface, transferring heat to the overlying rocks. The transfer of heat due to convection is accompanied by a decrease in pressure or “decompression” associated with the spreading of the lithospheric plates.These two work in tandem promoting the partial melting of rocks along the spreading center.
- Mid-oceanic ridges.
Similar to mid-oceanic ridges, the transfer of heat and decompression result to magma generation. The source of heat for mantle plumes is much deeper.
- Mantle plumes (hot spots).
Oceanic crustal rocks are formed along spreading centers, typically beneath several kilometers of seawater. The presence of water during generation results to the formation of hydrous minerals. As the oceanic slab is down-thrusted along subduction zones, the change in temperature and pressure conditions brings about mineral instability (e.g. hydrous minerals) and the release of water to the surrounding hot rocks. The introduction of water effectively lowers the melting temperature of rocks and therefore causes partial melting or magma generation.
- Subduction zones.
magma is less dense than the surrounding country rock. Magma rises faster when the difference in density between the magma and the surrounding rock is greater.
- Density contrast:
magma passes through mineral grain boundaries and cracks in the surrounding rock. When enough mass and buoyancy is attained, the overlying surrounding rock is pushed aside as the magma rises. Depending on surrounding pressure and other factors, the magma can be ejected to the Earth’s surface or rise at shallower levels underneath
- At deeper levels
magma may no longer rise because its density is almost the same as that of the country rock. The magma starts to accumulate and slowly solidifies.
- At shallower levels
- : a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. Magmas with low viscosity flow more easily than those with high viscosity. Temperature, silica content and volatile content control the viscosity of magma. Use the table below to clarify the effects of different factors on magma viscosity.
- Viscosityb
Factor
↑ Temperature
↑ Silica Content (SiO2)
↑ Dissolved water (H2O)
Mafic magma is less viscous than silicic (felsic) magma because it is hotter and contains less silica. Also, the volatiles in magma decreases viscosity. Effect to Viscosity
↓ Viscosity
↑ Viscosity
↓ Viscosity
is the process of creating one or more secondary magmas from single parent magma.
Magmatic differentiation
– a chemical process by which the composition of a liquid, such as magma, changes due to crystallization. There are several mechanisms for crystal fractionation. One that is directly related to the Bowen’s reaction series is crystal settling.
- Crystal Fractionation