THE LANGUAGE OF THE

EARTH – PART I

IGNEOUS
ROCKS
Layers of the Earth
OCEANIC CONTINENTAL
CRUST CRUST
SiO2 47% 56%

Al2O3 16% 18%

FeO 13% 9%
MgO 10% 3%
CaO 10% 4%
Na2O 2% 5.5%

K2O 0.7% 2.5%

TiO2 1.1% 1.3%

P2O5 0.2% 0.7%

MANTLE CORE
SiO2 – 45% Fe – 86%
S – 10%
MgO – 37% Ni – 4%
FeO – 8%
Compositional Structural
Al2O3 – 4%
Layers Layers
CaO – 3%
others – 3%
Average composition of the Earth’s Crust
(by weight, elements, and volume)
Heterogeneity
of the
Continental
Crust
 Definition
IGNEOUS ROCK - An aggregate of
minerals crystallized from molten rock
(magma). Major distinctions in rock type
are based on two criteria:
1) the chemical composition of the magma
(mafic to felsic) and
2) the environment of magma emplacement
(plutonic or intrusive vs. volcanic or extrusive)
Igneous Environments
Fine-grained
= Volcanic

Coarse-grained
= Plutonic
 IGNEOUS ROCK TEXTURES
f (rate of cooling = crustal environment)

Plutonic---Volcanic

1 mm

Degree of Undercooling

1 mm
Porphyritic Texture
Indicative of
two-stage cooling
Magma Composition
Related to Partial
Melting of Source
Melting the mantle
makes MAFIC Magma

Melting the crust

makes FELSIC Magma

Igneous rocks
crystallize over a
range of
temperatures
Properties of Magmas
Generation of Diverse Magma Compositions in Various Geologic
(Tectonic) Settings
Crystallization of
Magma to Rock

Mafic Magma
T - 1250-1050 C

Felsic Magma
T - 1050-800 C
Magma Composition Variation (Differentiation)
by Fractional Crystallization
 Mafic Layered Intrusions
Brewpots of Magma Differentiation
 FLOOD BASALTS
Basaltic Volcanism
in Continental Settings
NORTH SHORE
Flood Basalts of
the Midcontinent
Rift
 Shield Volcanoes
Basaltic Volcanism
in Oceanic Settings

Mauna Loa
Cinder Cones –sputtering eruptions
Stratovolcano
Steep, conical volcanoes built by the eruption
of viscous lava flows, tephra, and pyroclastic
flows, are called stratovolcanoes. Usually
constructed over a period of tens to hundreds of
thousands of years, stratovolcanoes may erupt a
variety of magma types, including basalt,
andesite, dacite, and rhyolite. All but basalt
commonly generate highly explosive eruptions.

Mt. St. Helens

Explosive Costa Rica
(pyroclastic)
Eruptions

Phillipines
Mt. St. Helen’s
Caldera Formation:
The Fate of all
Stratovolcanoes
Pillowed Basalts
Submarine Eruptions