The Rock Cycle-

Minerals form rocks

All rocks can be transformed into other rock types
Rocks are divided into 3 categories
Igneous- crystalline- forms as liquid cools
Metamorphic- crystalline-forms as rocks are
heated and squeezed
Sedimentary- non-crystalline- smaller pieces
or chemicals from other rocks
 Igneous formed from
Magma and Lava
Magma
molten rock below Earth's surface.
L ava
magma on the Earth's surface.

Pyroclastic material
(pyro = fire, clastic = debris)
Airborne lava
cools as it falls
Composition of the magma
Analogous to what makes up the stew"
What chemical elements are present
What material has the magma moved
through
Temperature of the melt
Not only how hot, but how long it stays that hot
also relates to pressure of the molten rock
Cooling environment
fast vs slow
Internal vs External
Water content
Bowen's Reaction Series- IMPORTANT!
Plagioclase
Olivine (Ca-feldspar)

Pyroxene

Amphibole

Plagioclase
Biotite (Na-feldspar)
Orthoclase
(K-feldspar)

Muscovite

Quartz
What things might you
describe when looking at
an igneous rock?
 Composition of Igneous rocks
Felsic or Sialic magma
Si-rich (> 65%)
rich in K, and Al
little Ca, Fe, and Mg.
Intermediate magma
between the two extremes in Si
content and other atoms.
Mafic magma
Si - poor (< 35%)
richer in Ca, Fe, and Mg.
 Crystal Settling

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Magma Mixing

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Ways of Changing
magma
Magma Composition

Assimilation
Viscosity of Magma/ Lava
Viscosity- important for volcanic activity
the resistance of a liquid to flow
high viscosity = thick and stiff
low viscosity = thin and "runny".
Related to:
amount of water (H2O) in magma
amount of silica (Si) in magma
Mafic
thin, low viscosity
Felsic
thick, high viscosity
Igneous Rock Textures- how big are the
Phaneritic Texture minerals?

Visible Mineral Grains

distinguishable as different colored interlocking
shapes
Aphanitic Texture
Mineral grains too small to be seen
microscopic
Porphyritic Texture
Two distinct sizes of mineral grains
Large and Small
Large = Phenocrysts
Small = Groundmass or Matrix
Groundmass
Grains may be either visible or not
Porphyritic texture

Aphanitic basalt (mafic

composition) constitutes
the groundmass
 Cooling Histories
Minerals need time and space to grow
More time = Bigger crystals
visible mineral grains
P & T control cooling rates of magma
Temp
Earth is a good insulator
holds in heat
keeps out cool
Atmosphere is a relatively bad insulator
transfers heat easily
Earth has pressure
Weight of overlying rocks
Magma trying to push up (density)
water vapor (steam), wants to expand
Categories of Igneous EOF
Granite
Intrusive rocks
cool beneath Earth's surface
cool very slowly
higher P & T
Phaneritic textures
Rhyolite
Extrusive rocks
cool on the Earth's Surface
cool relatively fast
lower T & P
Aphanitic textures Basalt
Pyroclastic textures porphyry
Complex
Partially cools below and above
Porphyritic textures
Igneous rock names
determined by texture
size and arrangement of mineral grains
AND by mineral composition
minerals affect rock color and indicate temperature of creation
 Pegmatite
A Pegmatite is a very coarse-grained igneous rock.
Crystals are >2 cm, often larger.
Most are granitic, although mafic pegmatites can form.
Biotite mineral
grain

Feldspar
mineral
grain

Quartz mineral
grain
Granite & Rhyolite
Phaneritic Texture
Felsic magma

Granite
What are the textures in these two
rocks ?

Aphanitic Texture
Felsic magma
Rhyolite
Andesite & Diorite
Aphanitic texture Phaneritic texture
forms from intermediate -forms from intermediate
composition magma composition magma

What are the textures in these two

rocks ?
 Basalt & Gabbro
phaneritic texture
aphanitic texture
forms from mafic magma
forms from mafic magma

Basalt

Gabbro

Peridotite- the abundance of Olivine crystals

(more than 40%) makes the rock take on a
green appearance
Obsidian- a popular rock among
paleopeople for tool making

Volcanic
Glass
Tuffs &Tuffs
Breccias
& Breccias
- look like sedimentary rock

But they are not.it is volcanic ash that is lithified

How do we tell where
the igneous rocks
formed and what can
we derive from the
rocks about the
conditions of
 Pyroclastics
Lava
flow

Volcanic
neck

Igneous
dike

Igneous
Sill

Batholith
Sierra Nevada
Batholith- Home to
Yosemite National
Park and a lot of
Granites and
Grano-diorites
Sierra Nevada Batholith
Areal extent of the Idaho
Batholith- a huge (15,400
square miles) intrusive body
of primarily felsic
composition (granites)
igneous rocks
An igneous dike-
Discordant with surrounding rock
It cuts across other rocks
An igneous sill-
Concordant with surrounding rock
It runs parallel to other rocks
Necks & Ig Dikes

Neck

Dike

igneous
Igneous sill
sill