Igneous & Metamorphic

Petrology Lecture Notes

By David T. Allison
 Earth’s Internal Layers
ƒ 2 Criteria
– Composition (i.e. mineralogy and geochemistry)
– Seismic (mechanical behavior)
Earth’s Layering by Composition
ƒ Depth Thick Layer
7-50km Basalt (3.0) Diorite (2.7)
Crust

650km Upper mantle Peridotite (3.3)

700km

2200km Lower mantle Garnet Lherzolite (3.5-5.5)

2900km

2200km Outer core Ni-Fe-S Alloy (10-12)

5100km
1300km Inner core Ni-Fe Alloy (13)
6400km
 Earth’s Layering by Seismic
Properties
ƒ Depth Thick Layer
70-150km Brittle
Lithosphere

550km Asthenosphere Ductile

700km

2200km Mesosphere Brittle

2900km

2200km Outer core Liquid (very ductile)

5100km
1300km Inner core Brittle
6400km
 Plate Tectonics and Petrology
ƒ Plate Boundaries
– Divergent: plates move directly away from
boundary
– Convergent: plates move directly toward
boundary
– Transform: plates move parallel to boundary
– Collisonal: continental lithosphere in each plate
collide, therefore, subduction is terminated
 Seafloor Spreading
ƒ Alfred Wegener (1915): continental drift
theory
ƒ Arthur Holmes (1931): mantle convection
ƒ Harry Hess (1962): “conveyor belt” model
for seafloor
ƒ Vine and Mathews (1963): paleomagnetism
discovery definitively proved that the
seafloor was spreading away from ocean
ridges
 Petrology of Paleomagnetism
ƒ Paleomagnetism is the preservation of the
Earth’s magnetic field magnitude, orientation
and polarity in minerals

- Magnetite crystal
+
 Paleomagnetic Reversals
ƒ Periodically the Earth’s magnetic field
reverses polarity, an event that is recorded
in igneous magnetic minerals
Reversal of
polarity
+ - + -
S - + - + N
- + - +
Paleomagnetic Seafloor “Stripes”
ƒ Each section of ocean lithosphere inherits
the Earth’s magnetic polarity
 Global Paleomagnetic Patterns
ƒ Width of paleomagnetic stripes indicates the
relative rate of spreading
Ophiolite Suite
ƒ 1. Sediment layer (1-100m)
– Radiolarian chert, Fe oxides, turbidites
ƒ 2. Pillow basalt layer (1 km)
– Submarine extrusion of basaltic lava
ƒ 3. Sheeted dike layer (2 km)
– Diabase dikes
ƒ 4. Gabbro layer (4 km)
– Batholiths of gabbro with layering
controlled by fractional crystallization
ƒ 5. Peridotite layer (63 km)
– Ol+Opx+Cpx mantle
 Formation of Ophiolites
ƒ Formation of ophiolites
is driven by magma
chamber under
divergent ocean ridge
systems
ƒ Basalts produced at
ocean ridge divergent
boundaries have a
geochemical signature
that is termed tholeiitic
(MORB)
 Continental Rift Zones
ƒ Initial developing phase of a divergent plate boundary
ƒ Magma is enriched in alkali (K, Na, Rb) because of high
pressure source area (Alkali basalt, Nepheline syenite;
Bimodal volcanics)
ƒ Transition from continental to ocean lithosphere is termed
a passive continental margin
 Convergent Plate Boundaries
ƒ Always marked by ocean trench physiographic features
ƒ One of the converging plates, always ocean lithosphere, is
consumed by subduction
ƒ Volcanic and magmatic arcs are associated with
subduction
 Characteristics of Convergent
Boundaries Volcanic Arc Back-
Accretionary Fore-arc basin arc
Trench Prism (eugeocline) basin

Melange

1200 deg C
isotherm Greenschist
Blueschist (miogeocline)
Amphibolite
Granulite
Benioff Zone seismic
Focal points
Calc-
Alkaline
Eclogite magma

Magma source
region
 Transform Boundaries
ƒ Fault action produces a type of metamorphic
fault-zone rock termed mylonite
ƒ “Leaky transforms” erupt alkali basalt similar
to continental rift zones

Example: Death Valley along the

San Andreas fault system
 Collisional Zones
ƒ Igneous activity associated with
convergence ceases
ƒ Seismic activity becomes intense
ƒ Eclogites may become exposed
ƒ Extreme topographic relief
ƒ Ophiolites are preserved in suture zones
between colliding continents/Island Arcs