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Chapter 3
Exam Two
76
Geology
Undergraduate 2
10/02/2012

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Term
What are igenous rocks?
Definition
rocks that crystallized from molten material
Term
What is magma?
Definition
molten rock within the earth; fluid mixture of liquid, solid crystal, and dissolved gases
Term
What is lava?
Definition
molten rock that flows above ground
Term
Describe basalt.
Definition
Crystallizes at the Earth's surface from lave (poor in silica)
Term
Describe gabbro.
Definition
Crystallizes undergound (poor in silica). 
Term
Describe granite. 
Definition
Silica-rich rocks that crystallize under the ground
Term
Describe rhyolite.
Definition
silica-rich rocks that crystallize at the Earth's surface from lave
Term
Describe magma's cooling process.
Definition
Since rocks do not entirely melt at one teperature and pressure, rocks partially melt, with the amont of melt relative to remaining minerals increasing as melting proceeds.  Composition changes as minerals of different compositionn begin to melt and contribute different elements to the maga.  As it cools, it crystallizes, new bonds form between ions, and tiny crystals begin to appear.  As cooling progresses, different minerals crystallize out of the magma at different temperatures.  Composition again changes as each crystallized mineral is removed from the magma.  Ultimatey, entire body becomes solidified.
Term
Partial melting
Definition
Some minerals remain solid (minerals with higher melting points) with the melted portion (the minerals with lower melting points) may flow away as magma
Term
Which factors control the melting of rocks and the creation of magmas?
Definition
heat, pressure, and the amount of water in the rocks
Term
What is the geothermal gradient?
Definition
temperatures in the earth increase with depth
Term
As pressure increases, the temperature at which rocks melt ________.
Definition
increases
Term
decompression melting
Definition
if the pressure on a rock is removed, the rocks are hot and it leads to a condition of high temperature and low pressure so it partially melts the rocks of the Earth's mantle to produce basaltic magma beneath divergent plate boundaries
Term
Water _____ the melting point of rocks.
Definition
lowers
Term
Why does water lower the melting point of rocks?
Definition
destablizes crystal structures within rock's minerals, promoting breaking of their bonds and lowering it
Term
Hot rocks (magma) _____ relative to cold, solid rocks.
Definition
rise
Term
What controls magma's ability to rise
Definition
its fluidity, which is governed by its composition and temperature; increased heat=increased fluidity
Term
viscosity
Definition
a fluid's resistance to flow (opposite of fluidity)
Term
Viscosity ____ with decreasing temperature and _____ with increasing temperature.
Definition
increases; decreases
Term
Viscosity _____ with silica content.
Definition
increases (silica-rich magma is relativel cool; low-silica, basaltic magmas are more likely to rise to the surface and erupt than high silica lavas [rhyolite])
Term
What does Bowen's reaction series do?
Definition
shows how hypothetically the complete range of the most common igneous-rock compositions could be produced by the same basaltic lava by fractional crystallization; scientists now know does not account for all igneous rocks
Term
When magma is cooling, what happens to crystals that are denser than the surrounding liquid?
Definition
they may sink to the bottom of the magma chamber and become buried by later-settling crystals
Term
fractional crystallization
Definition
a single parent magma can produce a variety of igneous rocks of different compositions
Term
Name two ways besides fractional crystallization that igneous rocks can be formed.
Definition
further melting of already-formed oceanic or continental crust; some mixing of magmas of different compositions
Term
magma mixing
Definition
two or more different bodies of magma flow together to form a magma of hybrid composition
Term
How are igneous rocks classfied?
Definition
by the size of the mineral crystals in the rock and the rock's composition (texture) which is determined by the rate at which magma or lava cools
Term
texture
Definition
the size and shshape of a rock's minerals
Term
phaneritic texture
Definition
intrusive rocks; when we can see the crystals clearly
Term
another name for intrusive rocks
Definition
plutonic rocks
Term
pegmatites
Definition
igenous rocks that develop at relatively low temperature from magmas with a high proportion of water; ions move freely enabling crystals to grow unusually large
Term
aphanitic texture
Definition
extrusive rocks; crystals are so small they can barely be seen by the naked eye
Term
another name for extrusive rocks
Definition
volcanic rocks
Term
porphyritic texture
Definition
large crystals are surrounded by regions with much smaller or even invisible grains; form as a result of slow cooling followed by rapid cooling
Term
glassy texture
Definition
lava erupts into the air or flows into a body of water and cools so quickly that its ions do not form any crystals at all
Term
name two types of volcanic glass
Definition
pumice and obsidian
Term
How are igneous rocks classified based on their silica (oxygen and silicon) contnet?
Definition
ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, felsic
Term
_____ rocks have the smallest proportion of silica to other ions, while _____ rocks have the largest.
Definition
Ultramafic; felsic
Term
What elements do mafic rocks contain?
Definition
magnesium and iron
Term
What is the most common ultramafic rock?
Definition
peridotite which is not technically an igneous rock bc it did not crystallize from magma but they are the dominant rock in the Earth's mantle and they form basalt
Term
What is the silica content of mafic rocks?
Definition
45-55%
Term
Describe gabbro.
Definition
magma containing the same mix of minerals as basalt but that cools underground and is basalt's plutonic equivalent, coarse-grained, phaneritic
Term
What is the silica-content of intermediate igneous rocks?
Definition
55-65%...consists of iron and magnesium silicates like pyroxene and amphibole
Term
Name an intermediate igneous rock and describe its texture.
Definition
Andesite, porphyritic, world's most abundant type of volcanic rock
Term
What was andesite named for?
Definition
The Andes Mountains
Term
What is andesite's plutonic equivalent?
Definition
diorite
Term
What is the silica content of felsic rocks?
Definition
65% or more
Term
What is the most common felsic igneous rock?
Definition
the plutonic rock granite
Term
What is the result when rising magma forces overlying rocks to bulge upward?
Definition
they form an intrusion within other rocks known as a diapir
Term
xenolith
Definition
moving magma incorporates rock as it rises, some of these melt and assimilate into the magma, unmelted rocks are carried within the magma; when it solidifies, we can see xenoliths, which are the foreign rocks
Term
plutons
Definition
subsurface intrusive igneous forms created by solidified underground magma
Term
What is another term for preexisting rock?
Definition
country rock
Term
Where do concordant plutons lie?
Definition
parallel to layers of country rock
Term
Where do discordant plutons lie?
Definition
cut across layers of country rock
Term
tabular plutons
Definition
slablike intrusions of igneous rocks that are broader than they are thick, like a table top
Term
When does a tabular pluton form?
Definition
if magma flows into a relatively thin fracture in country rock, or pushed into the space between sedimentary rock layers
Term
dike
Definition
a discordant tabular pluton that cuts across preexisting rocks; generally steeply inclined or nearly vertical, suggesting that they formed from rising magma
Term
volcanic neck
Definition
vertical pluton of hard, erosion-resistant volcanic rock that remains in what was once a volcano's central magma pathway
Term
diatremes
Definition
products of deep-seated, extremely gaseous, highly explosive eruptions which contain highly fragmented chunks of lava mixed with rock ripped from the vent wall and masses of rock from deep crust and mantle
Term
sill
Definition
a concordant tabular pluton which is produced when intruding magma enters a space between layers of rock, sometimes melting and incorporating adjacent sedimentary material
Term
laccolith
Definition
thick viscous magma intrudes between two parallel layers of rock and lifts the overlying one, it cools to form this mushroom-shaped concordant pluton; many are granitic
Term
lopolith
Definition
saucer-shaped concordant plutons that sag downward...probably produced when mafic magma rises from a deep magma source
Term
batholith
Definition
massive plutons with surface areas of 100 km squared or more that typically form from intermediate to high viscosity magmas (diorite and granite)
Term
Where do most igneous rocks form?
Definition
At or near plate boundaries
Term
mid-ocean ridge basalts
Definition

MORBs

eruptions at oceanic divergent boundaries produce these rocks; solid mantle peridotite rises up and partially melts creating the basalitc magma that then rises and solidifies as ocean crusts; 20% erupts on seafloor

Term
Define oceanic island basalts.
Definition
OIBs.  Found atop hot spots that lie above deep-mantle heat sources; originate from deep part of mantle; we can see eruptions of OIBs in Hawaii
Term
Where are some places that continental form?
Definition
Partial melting of hot plumes of mantle
Term
What are the primary igneous products of subducting oceanic plates?
Definition
andesites and diorites
Term
Name one of the factors that combine to produce igneous rocks of an intermediate composition in a subduction zone.
Definition
water (lowers melting point of rocks)
Term
Which planets of the planets have experienced partial melting?
Definition
terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), the Moon, and Io (one of Jupiter's moons)
Term
Name the geological provinces on the Moon.
Definition
 the highlands and the maria
Term
What are the lunar maria or seas actually made up of instead of water?
Definition
solidified basalt flows
Term
What does the relative lack of  younger igneous rocks on the Moon's surface today suggest?
Definition
its interior is no longer hot enough to produce new magmas
Term
Name somme practical uses of igneous rocks
Definition
gemstones, precious metals, crushed basalt for road construction, decorative building stones, kitchen counter tops, emeralds, topazes, diamonds occur in igneous rock
Term
hydrothermal fluids
Definition
heat driven subterranean fluids that percolates down through an igneous region and concentrates valuable minerals; converts to steam, then invades surrounding rocks and dissolves soluble minerals in them
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