Assignment

Of

PROPERTIES OF MAGMA
Submitted in partial fulfilment of
The degree of Master of Science
In Geology
By
Patel Karnav
Semester- M.Sc.
Roll no. 08
Under the supervision of
DR. N. Y. BHATT

Geology Department
M.G. Science Institute
Affiliated to Gujarat University
Navarangpura, Ahmedabad-380009
Gujarat, India.
 PROPERTIES OF MAGMA

Magma = Molten rock material, with or w/o crystals or other suspended solids.

May or may not contain dissolved gas phase (H2O or CO2). Vesicles = Bubbles of gas formed in
magma.

Physical Properties of magma depend on:

1. Temperature
2. Density
3. Volatile Content
4. Viscosity

An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into other substances (ex. Carbon, Hydrogen,
Oxygen).

A compound is a substance made of 2 or more elements that have been chemically combined (ex.
Water, carbon dioxide, and table salt).

Each substance has a particular set of physical & chemical properties. Their properties can be used
to identify a substance or to predict how it will behave.

A physical property is any characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without
changing the composition of the substance (ex. Density, hardness, melting & boiling points). A
chemical property is any property that produces a change in the composition of matter (ex. The
ability to burn, combine or react with other substances).

VISCOSITY :
The physical property of liquids called viscosity is the resistance of a liquid to flow. Because liquids
differ in viscosity, some liquids flow more easily than others.

The greater the viscosity of a liquid, the slower it flows (like honey). The viscosity of magma depends
upon its silica content and temperature. The compound silica (the major component of magma) is
made up of particles of the elements oxygen & silicon.

The amount of silica in magma helps to determine its viscosity. The less silica magma contains, the
lower its viscosity (flows very easily). Viscosity increases as temperature decreases.

Pahoehoe is fast-moving, hot lava that has low viscosity.

Lava that is cooler and slower-moving is called aa.

 PROPERTIES OF MAGMA

TEMPERATURE:
Basalt @ 1 atm: 1200-1250oC liquidus, 950-1000oC solidus.

Rhyolite: Liquidus = 1050oC

Hydrous solidus (with H2O) = 650 oC

Anhydrous solidus (no H2O) = 750oC

>> Rhyolite solidus defined as T where viscosity >1013 poise.

>> Determined experimentally.

DENSITY:
Density controlled by magma composition: FeO wt% most important. In general, basalts are richer in
Fe, Ca, and Ti than rhyolites; rhyolites are richer in Na, Al, and Si than basalts:

Basalt magma: 2.65 to 2.80 gm/cm3

Andesite magma: 2.45 to 2.50 gm/cm3

Rhyolite magma: 2.18 to 2.25 gm/cm3

Density is also controlled by Temperature and Pressure.

Higher Temperatures cause melts to Expand ===>> Lower Density

Higher Pressures cause the melts to Compress == >> Higher Density

VOLATILES:
H2O most abundant volatile in most magma CO2 next most abundant volatile

In general, Basalt magmas are DRY, i.e. H2O < 0.5 wt%

MORB = 0.25% H2O

Hawaiian Tholeiite = 0.5% H2O

 PROPERTIES OF MAGMA

Alkali Olivine Basalt = 0.9% H2O

Andesites, Rhyolites, Granites: Higher Water Contents

Paricutin Andesite = 2.2% H2O at 1100oC

Granites/Rhyolites wide range H2O: 0.5% to 7% H2O by weight.

Water lowers viscosity: OH- ions act as Network Modifers, substitute for O2 in tetrahedra.

Water lowers solidus temperature: Effect greater at higher pressures.

ADIABATIC GRADIENTS AND GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS:

As magmas rise they cool adiabatically , i.e., constant heat content.

Adiabatic gradient = 0.3oC/km of ascent or 1oC/kb pressure.

Kbar = 1000 x atmospheric pressure, 1 Kbar = 3.3 km approximately.

Geothermal Gradient: Increase in Temperature with increasing Depth.

>> Varies with Depth (Steeper curve at Low Pressures).

>> Varies w/Location: Cratons<Mobile Belts < Rift Zones < Ocean Basins.

>> MELTING occurs when Melting Curve (Solidus) intersects Geotherm.

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF MAGMAS

Thermal conductivity (K) is a measure of the rate at which heat is conducted through rocks and
magmas. [Units: J cm-1 s-1 deg-1]. Typical values for rock range from 10-2 to 2.5 x 10-2 J cm-1 s-1
deg-1. In cooling rate calculations we use the thermal diffusivity (k): k = K / ρC (C is the specific heat).
[Units of k: cm2 s-1]

To determine cooling rates, we need to solve the Fourier equation

 PROPERTIES OF MAGMA

dT/dt = k [d2T/dx2] where T is temp, t is time, x is distance

Typical solution: T/T0 = ½ + ½ erf [x / 2(kt)½] where T0 is initial temp, x = distance.

BUOYANCY:
Buoyancy results from the difference in density between and object and a surrounding fluid. A
person in the ocean floats because the average density of a human being is slightly less than the
density of seawater. Magma exists in an environment that is almost like a fluid, at least over geologic
time spans, and since magma is hotter than the surrounding “plastic” rocks it tends to move upward,
even if the rock material is similar (think “hot air balloon”). It is a little mind-bending to imagine
crustal material as a fluid, but it is if enough time is involved, and nature has plenty of time.

TECTONIC PRESSURE ON MAGMA:

Our familiarity with squeezing toothpaste from a tube makes the concept of igneous intrusion by
tectonic squeezing of a magma chamber a simple one to appreciate. As a result, it is readily invoked,
despite the common lack of any supporting evidence. In the case of a squeezed toothpaste tube,
flow is caused by a strong pressure gradient resulting from the tube being open at one end. If
 PROPERTIES OF MAGMA

magma does not have easy access to some lower-pressure region, the magma chamber would
simply be deformed by tectonic forces, and there would be no actual intrusion of magma. In the
deeper crust and upper mantle, where lost magmas originate, solid rocks react to long-tenn stresses
as if they were extremely viscous liquids; under such conditions; there seems little likelihood of
tectonic forces causing intrusion. But if movements were sufficiently rapid to cause rupturing of the
crust, or if some other mechanism allowed magma to extend itself over a considerable vertical
distance, tectonic forces could cause magma to flow toward the surface.

REFRENCES:
 "Definition of Magma". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 28
October
 Geological Society of America, Plates, Plumes, And Paradigms
 Watson, E. B.; Hochella, M. F. and Parsons, I. (editors), Glasses and Melts: Linking
Geochemistry and Materials Science, Elements
 Principals of igneous and metamorphic petrology by philpotts