Earth Science Quarter 2: Module 2-3

Earth’s Internal Heat Sources

 PRIMORDIAL HEAT 
 the Earth was formed from the process of accretion wherein gases and dust of cloud
was attracted by gravitational energy.
 When these masses compacted, it formed planetisimals. In this process, due to the
collision of these masses, the heat was generated. 

 RADIOGENIC HEAT
 Earth is considered as thermal engine since its main source of internal heat come
from the produced decay of some naturally occurring isotopes from its interior.
 This process is known as radioactive decay by which the spontaneous breakdown
of an atomic nucleus causes the release of energy and matter from the nucleus. 

 RADIOACTIVITY 
 the spontaneous decay of the nucleus of one element into that of another.
Radioactive decay is unpredictable, however. 

 RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPE
 some isotopes are naturally stable -- they will not undergo radioactive decay.
Others are inherently radioactive.
 A given radioactive substance will decay into a specific daughter product that
may itself, be radioactive or stable. 

 LONG-LIVED RADIOISOTOPES: those with half-lives measured in hundreds

of millions or billions of years (abbreviated Ga). Present in the modern world in
detectable quantities. 

 HALF-LIFE: the time it takes for an isotope to radioactively decay. 

 GRAVITATIONAL PRESSURE
 the more a person descends into Earth's interior, the amount of pressure increases
due to the force pressing on an area caused by the weight of an overlying rocks.
 The pressure near the center is considered to be 3 to 4 million times the pressure of
the atmosphere at sea level. Again, because rocks are good insulators, the escape of
heat from Earth's surface is less than the heat generated from internal gravitational
attraction or squeezing of rock, so heat builds up within.
 At high temperature, the material beneath will melt towards the central part of the
Earth.
 This molten material under tremendous pressure conditions acquires the property of
a solid and is probably in a plastic state. 

 DENSE CORE MATERIAL 

C. Eyna Grace
  due to the increase in pressure and the presence of heavier materials towards the
Earth's center, the density of Earth's layers also increases.
 In the descent of the dense iron-rich material that makes up the core of the planet to
the center that produce heating in about 2,000 kelvins.
 The inner core's intense pressure prevents the iron and other minimal amounts of
some elements from melting.
 The pressure and density are simply too great for the iron atoms to move into a
liquid state.

MAGMATISM

 MAGMA - is composed of semi-liquid hot molten rocks located beneath the Earth
specifically in the melted mantle rock and oceanic plate. This molten state when
solidified, creates igneous rocks found on the suface of the Earth. 

MAGMA VS. LAVA

 MAGMA - is found in the magma chamber of the volcano
 LAVA - is found on the surface of Earth once the volcano erupts. 

 MAGMATISM - is a process under the Earth's crust where formation and movement
of magma occur. 
 ASTHENOSPHERE - where magmatism occurs located in the lower part of the
Earth's crust and in the upper portion of the mantle. 

1. Which of the following elements has the

highest amount in the magma??
  ~ oxygen (46.6%)
2. Which of the following elements has the
lowest amount in the magma?
  ~ magnesium (2.1%) 
3. What are the top two compositions of
magma?? 
HOW MAGMA IS FORMED? 
  ~ oxygen (46.6%) and silicon (27.7%)

C. Eyna Grace
  the magma present in the lower crust and upper mantle of the Earth is formed or
generated through the process of partial melting.
 In this process, different minerals of rock melt at different temperature and pressure.
As temperature rises, some minerals melt and others remain solid. 
 To understand melting, pressure is also considered.  Pressure increases with depth as a
result of the increased weight of overlying rock. Higher pressure led to higher melting
points. 

AN INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE 
 conduction in mantles happens when heat is transferred from hotter molten rocks to
the Earth's cold crust. This process is known as heat transfer. As magma rises, it is
often hot enough to melt the rock it touches. It happens at convergent boundaries
where tectonic plates are crashing together. Rocks are composed of minerals. These
rocks start to melt once the temperature in the lower crust and upper mantle increases
or exceeds the melting point of minerals. The temperature of mantle is around 1200
degrees Celsius. Rock minerals such as quartz and feldspar begin to partially melt at
around 650 - 850 degrees Celsius. 

MELTING IN THE MANTLE REQUIRES POSSIBLE EVENTS TO OCCUR: 

1. A DECREASE OF PRESSURE: 
 mantle rocks remains solid when exposed to high pressure. However, during
convection, these rocks tend to go upward (shollower level) and the pressure is
reduced. This triggers the melting of magma. This is known as decompression
melting. This process occurs at the Mid Ocean Ridge -- an underwater mountain
system. 

2. ADDITION OF VOLATILES
 when water or carbon dioxide is added to hot rocks, flux melting occurs.  The
melting points of minerals within the rocks decrease. If the rocks is already close to
its melting point, the effect of adding these volatiles can be enough to trigger partial
melting. It occurs around subduction zones. 

What happens when magma is formed? 

•PLUTONISM - refers to all sorts of igneous geological activities taking place below the
Earth's surface 
•VOLCANISM - refers to all geological phenomena that occur on the natural terrestrial
surface such as the creation of volcanoes and hot springs. 

What happens after magma is formed?

Magma escaped is two forms: 

1. INTRUSION - is magma that moves up into volcano without erupting forming the Earth's
crust (magma does not get out) 
 The solidification and crystallization of magma takes place mainly inside the Earth's
interior.
 When the process of crystallization takes place inside the crust, the magmatic rocks
produced are called PLUTONITES. 

C. Eyna Grace
2. EXTRUSION- is an eruption of magmatic materials that causes land-formation of the
surface of the Earth. 
 Magma that came out to the surface of the earth is called eruption. 
 Magma that came to the surface of the earth is called lava. 
 Molten material in the form of lava that undergoes the process of crystallization on
the natural terrestrial surface gives birth to the rock formations known as
VOLCANITES. 

C. Eyna Grace