Magma and Magma Formation

Magma, molten or partially molten rock from which igneous rocks form. It usually
consists of silicate liquid, although carbonate and sulfide melts occur as well. Magma
migrates either at depth or to Earth’s surface and is ejected as lava.
Suspended crystals and fragments of unmelted rock may be transported in the magma;
dissolved volatiles may separate as bubbles and some liquid may crystallize during
movement. Several interrelated physical properties determine the characteristics of
magma, including chemical composition, viscosity, dissolved gases, and temperature.

Magma reaches Earth's surface as lava and flows over Hawaiian vegetation and into the
ocean.
There are three major types of magma. Basaltic (or mafic) magma predominates in
nonexplosive volcanic eruptions. It is a high-temperature magma (1,200 °C [about 2,200 °
F]) characterized by flowing lava, and it is made up of about 45–55 percent silica (SiO2)
by weight. In contrast, the temperature of rhyolitic (or felsic) magma is much lower (750–
850 °C [about 1,400–1,560 °F]), but its silica content is higher, ranging from about 65 to
75 percent by weight. Rhyolitic magmas are characteristic of the most explosive
eruptions, which also produce ash falls and pyroclastic flows. Andesitic magma is
intermediate in temperature (800–1,000 °C [about 1,470–1,830 °F]) and silica content.
( felsic and mafic rocks.)

As magma cools, crystals form in a systematic manner, which is most simply expressed
in the form of Bowen’s reaction series; early high-temperature crystals will tend to react
with the liquid to form other minerals at lower temperatures. Two series are recognized:
(1) a discontinuous reaction series, which from high to low temperatures is composed
of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, amphibole, and biotite; and (2) a continuous
reaction series, represented by high-temperature calcium-rich plagioclase to
low-temperature sodium-rich plagioclase. Numerous variations can occur during
crystallization to influence the resulting rock. Such variations include separation of early
crystals from liquid, preventing a reaction; cooling of magma too rapidly for reactions to
occur; and loss of volatiles, which may remove some components from the magma.
Transport and emplacement of magma is strongly affected by its viscosity and by the
fracture characteristics of rocks through which it moves. Viscosity is reduced
by water and a lower silica content.

Magmas can vary widely in composition, but in general they are made up of only eight
elements; in order of importance: oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium,
magnesium, and potassium (Figure 3.2.1). Oxygen, the most abundant element in magma,
comprises a little less than half the total, followed by silicon at just over one-quarter. The
remaining elements make up the other one-quarter. Magmas derived from crustal
material are dominated by oxygen, silicon, aluminum, sodium, and potassium.

The composition of magma depends on the rock it was formed from (by melting), and the
conditions of that melting. Magmas derived from the mantle have higher levels of iron,
magnesium, and calcium, but they are still likely to be dominated by oxygen and silicon.
All magmas have varying proportions of elements such as hydrogen, carbon, and sulphur,
which are converted into gases like water vapour, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide
as the magma cools.