ShaneMerrill
Chapter 6 section 2
10-28-24
Due 10-29-24
I. Formation of magma
1.Magma forms when rock melts. The three factors that affect whether rock melts include
temperature, pressure, and the presence of fluids in the rock. Rock melts when the temperature of
the rock increases to above the melting point of minerals in the rock
2. The malting temperature is determined by the chemical composition of the minerals in the
rock. Rock also melts when. excess pressure is removed from rock that is hotter than its melting
point.
A. Partial melting
1. Different minerals have different melting points, and minerals that have lower melting
points are the first minerals to melt. When the first minerals melt, the magma that forms
have a specific composition.
2. As the temperature increases and as offer minerals melt, the magma's composition
changes. The process by which different minerals in rock melt at different temperatures is
called partial melting.
B. Fractional crystallization
1. When magma cools, the cooling process is the reverse of the process of partial melting.
Chemicals in magma combine lo form minerals, and each mineral has a different freezing
point.
Minerals that have the highest freezing points crystallize first. As those minerals
crystallize, they remove specific chemicals from the magma and change the composition
of the magma.
2. As the composition changes, new mineral’s begin to form. The crystallization and
removal of different minerals from the cooling magma is called fractional crystallization
3. Minerals that form during fractional crystallization tend to settle to the bottom of the
magma chamber or to stick to the ceiling and walls of the magma chamber: Crystals that
ShaneMerrill
Chapter 6 section 2
10-28-24
Due 10-29-24
form early in the process are commonly the largest because they have the longest time to
grow In some crystals, the chemical composition of the inner part of the crystal differs
from the composition of the outer parts of the crystal. This difference occurs because the
magma's composition changed while the crystal was growing.
II. Textures of Igneous rocks
1. Igneous rocks are classified according to where magma cools
And hardens. Magma that cools deep inside the crust forms Intrusive Igneous rock. The
magma that forms these rocks intrudes, or enters, into other rock masses beneath Earth's
surface.
2. The magma then slowly cools and hardens. Lava that cools at Earth's surface forms
extrusive Igneous rock.
Intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks differ from each other not only in where they form but also
in the size of their crystals
or grains.
3. The texture of igneous rock is determined by the size
of the crystals in the reck. The size of the crystals is determined mainly by the cooling rate of the
magmal
A. Course grained igneous rock
Intrusive igneous rocks commonly have large mineral crystals.
The slow loss of heat allows the minerals in the cooling magma to form large, well-developed
crystals.
Igneous rocks that are composed of large mineral grains are described as having a coarse-grained
texture. An example of a coarse-grained igneous rock is granite.
B. Fine grained igneous rock
Many extrusive igneous rocks are composed of small mineral grains that cannot be seen by the
unaided eye.
ShaneMerrill
Chapter 6 section 2
10-28-24
Due 10-29-24
Because these rocks form when magma cools rapidly, large crystals are unable to form. Igneous
rocks that are composed of small crystals are described as having a fine-grained texture.
C. Other igneous rock textures
1. Some igneous rock forms when magma cools slowly at first but then cools more
rapidly as it nears Earth's surface. This type of cooling produces large crystals
embedded within a mass of smaller ones.
2. Igneous rock that has a mixture of large and small crystals has a porphyritic texture.
3. When a highly viscous magma cools quickly, few crystals are able to grow. If such
magma contains a very small percentage of dissolved gases, a rock that has a glassy
texture called obsidian forms.
When this type of magma contains a large percentage of dissolved gases and cools
rapidly, the gases become trapped as bubbles in the rock that forms.
4. The rapid cooling process produces a rock full of holes called vesicles, such as those
in pumice.
This type of rock is said to have a vesicular texture.
III. Composition of igneous rock
The mineral composition of an igneous rock is determined by the chemical composition of the
magma from which the rock formed. Each type of igneous rock has a specific mineral compo-
sition. Geologists divide igneous rock into three families-felsic, mafic (MAF ik), and
intermediate. Each of the three families has a different mineral composition.
A. Felsic rock
Rock in the felsic family forms from magma that contains a large proportion of silica. Felsic rock
generally has the light coloring of its main mineral components, potassium feldspar and quartz.
Felsic rock commonly also contains plagioclase feldspar, biotite mica, and muscovite mica.
b. mafic rock
Rock in the mafic lamily forms from magma that contains lower proportions of silica than felsic
rock does and that is rich in iron and magnesium. The main mineral components of rock in this
ShaneMerrill
Chapter 6 section 2
10-28-24
Due 10-29-24
family are plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene minerals. Malic rock may also include dark-colored
ferromagnesian minerals, such as hornblende. These ferromagnesian components, as well as the
mineral olivine, give mafic rock a dark color:
c. Intermediate rocks
Rocks of the intermediate family are made up of the minerals plagioclase feldspar; homblende,
pyroxene, and biotite mica.
Rocks in the intermediate family contain lower proportions of silica than rocks in the felsic
family do but contain higher proportions of silica than rocks in the mafic family contain. Rocks
in the intermediate family include diorite and andesite.
Igneous rock masses that form underground are called intrusions. Intrusions form when magma intrudes, or enters,
into other rock masses and then cools deep inside Earth's crust.
Batholiths and Stocks
The largest of all intrusions are called batholiths. Batholiths are intrusive formations that spread over at least 100 km'
when they are exposed on Earth's surface.
The word batholith means "deep rock." Batholiths were once thought to extend to great dopths bencath Earth's
surface. However, studies have determined that many batholiths extend only several thousand meters below the
surface. Batholiths form the cores of many mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevadas in California. The largest
batholith in North America forms the core of the Coast Range in British Columbia. Another type of intrusion is called a
stock. Stocks are similar to batholiths but cover less than 100 km' at the surface.
When magma flows between rock layers and spreads upward, it sometimes pushes the overlying rock lavers into a
dome. The base of the intrusion is parallel to the rock layer beneath it. This type of intrusion is called a laccolith. The
word laccolith means Take of rock." Laccoliths commonly occur in groups and can somctimes be identified by the
small dome-shaped mountains they form on Earth's surface. Many laccoliths are located beneath the Black Hills of
South Dakota.
What is the difference between stocks and batho-
liths? (See the Appendix for answers to Reading Checks.)
Sills and Dikes
When magma Nows between the lavers of rock and hardens, a sill forms. A sill lies parallel to the layers of rock that
surround it, even if the lavers are tilted. Sills vary in thickness from a lew centimclers to hundreds of meters.
Magma
somctimes
forces
through rock layers by following existing vertical fractures or by creating new ones. When the magma solidifics, a dike
forms. Dikes cut across rock layers rather than lying parallel to the rock layers. Dikes
Stock
are common in areas of
