Lesson 8.

Magmatism: How Magma is

Formed
Objective
At the end describe how magma is
of the 1 formed (magmatism).
lesson, you
should be
able to:
 Learn about It!

Magma
• Magma is defined as
molten rock material
produced by partial melting
of the mantle and crust. It
contains liquids, gases,
crystals and rock fragments.

Rocks melt as a result of the

addition of volatiles.
 Learn about It!

Formation of Magma
Temperature
• Temperature increases
with depth, which is
called geothermal
gradient. This increase
will obviously induce
melting.

Temperature increases with depth in

Earth’s internal structure.
 Learn about It!

Formation of Magma
Pressure
• Decrease in pressure
causes adiabatic
decompression. As
pressure is decreased,
melting temperatures of
materials decrease.

Rocks starts to melt even with low

temperature due to difference in pressures.
 Learn about It!

Formation of Magma
Volatiles
• Volatiles are substances that evaporate easily and can exist
in gaseous form in the surface of Earth.

• Examples of this kind of substances are water and carbon

dioxide. When volatiles mix with hot mantle rock, magma
forms.
 Learn about It!

Magmatism
• Magmatism occurs along plate boundaries or margins and
sometimes within the plate. Cracks on Earth's crust are the
result of these plate boundaries.

• In effect, hot mantle rock penetrates the crust and

becomes magma.
 Learn about It!

Magmatism
• Plate boundaries
can be classified as
convergent,
divergent, and
transform.

The movement of plates produces

convergent, divergent and transform
boundaries.
 Learn about It!

Classification of Magma
• Tholeiitic magmas or tholeiites, are produced by large
degree of melting.

• Calc-alkaline basalts form along convergent plate

boundaries above subduction zones.
 Learn about It!

Classification of Magma
• Alkaline basalts form from smaller degree of partial
melting, which results in alkali-rich and silica depleted
magma of diverse compositions.

• Carbonatites are the only magmas that are not produced

by silicate source rock.
Key Points

Magma is defined as molten rock material produced

1 by partial melting of the mantle and crust.

Magmatism occurs along plate boundaries or

2 margins and sometimes within the plate.

Magmas are classified according to the ratio

3 between the alkalis and silica content.
 Check Your Understanding

Read and analyze the following statements given.

Write true if the statement is correct and false if
incorrect.
1. The increase in temperature with depth is known as geothermal
gradient.
2. As pressure is decreased, melting temperatures of materials
increase.
3. Volatiles are substances that cannot evaporate easily and can exist
in gaseous form in the surface of Earth.
4. When volatiles mix with hot mantle rock, magma forms.
5. Rock's melting temperature increases when volatiles are
introduced.
 Challenge Yourself

What would be the temperature of Earth as one

goes down deep within Earth?
 Bibliography

Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University. “How Volcanoes

Work The Earth’s Internal Heat Energy and Interior Structure.” Accessed February 14, 2017.
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Heat.html

Hefferan, Kevin and O’Brien, John. 2010. Earth Materials. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication. Korenaga,
Jun. 2011. Earth’s Heat Budget Clairvoyant Geoneutrinos. Macmillan Publishers. Accessed
February 15, 2017. http://people.earth.yale.edu/sites/default/files/korenaga11nv.pdf

Patrick, Randy Roy and Howe, Robert Crombie. 1994. Volcanism on the Terrestrial Planets. Journal of
Geological Education.

Tarbuck, Edward J. and Lutgens, Frederick K. 2015. Earth Science. 14th edition. Pearson Education Inc.
 Bibliography

Taylor, Alexander H. 2014. The Foundation of Modern Geology. University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
Accessed February 15, 2017. https://publish.illinois.edu/foundationofmoderngeology/

Taylor, Alexander H. 2014. Plutonism | The Foundation of Modern Geology. University of Illinois Board of
Trustees. Accessed February 15, 2017.
https://publish.illinois.edu/foundationofmoderngeology/plutonism/