Types of Rock include Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic

Igneous Rocks
Lecture 3

Marble demo, rock specimens, Petrographic Microscope, Olivine Porphyry or Gabbro

Trays of mafic and felsic minerals

Characteristics of magma
Igneous rocks form as molten rock cools

and solidifies
Characteristics of magmas (molten rock)
depend on parent material and where they
crystallize
Where determines speed of crystallization
At surface, fast cooling makes small crystals

Geothermal
Gradient

Cool

Silica-rich rocks (with

Quartz, K-feldspar)
melt at cooler
temperatures.
Melts are viscous
Silica-poor rocks (with
Olivine, Pyroxene,
Ca-feldspar) melt at
higher temperatures
Melts are very fluid

Hot

Characteristics of magma
General Characteristics of molten rock

Forms from partial melting of rocks inside

the Earth
Rocks formed from lava at the surface are
classified as extrusive, or volcanic rocks
Rocks formed from magma that crystallizes
at depth are termed intrusive, or plutonic
rocks

TwoGeologicEnvironmentsWhereIgneousRocksForm
IgneousRocks
FormedinRift

IgneousRocks
FormedAbove
SinkingPlate
Both melts are "Basaltic" i.e. Olivine, Pyroxene and Ca-Feldspars

ExtrusiveIgneousRockLava(Hawaii)

IntrusiveIgneousRock(Granite)Thisgranite
cooled30kilometersunderthesurface
Plagioclase
Feldspar

Quartz

Amphibole

K Feldspar

Characteristics of magma

Three parts:
Liquid portion, called melt, that is
mobile ions
Solids, if any, are silicate minerals
already crystallized from the melt
Volatiles, which are gases dissolved in the
melt, including water vapor (H2O), carbon
dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Characteristics of magma

Crystallization of magma
Cooling of magma results in the systematic arrangement of
ions into orderly patterns
The silicate minerals resulting from crystallization form in
a predictable order
Rock-forming minerals crystallize with increasing complexity as the
magma cools. The most complex 3-D minerals crystallize last. The
hottest magmas can only crystallize Olivine (Independent
Tetrahedra), but as the magma cools, more complex minerals can
form.

BowensReactionSeries
Molten- VERY Hot
No solids
First mineral to crystallize out

Molten- Not so hot

100% Solid

Fine crystals
Need a microscope
Low silica, HOT, fluid

Course crystals
Easily seen

Intermediate

High silica, warm, viscous

Bowens reaction series

says: as a granitic melt
cools, Biotite Mica and
Plagioclase Feldspar
crystallize out before Quartz

Granite
HandSample

Granite
ThinSection

Microscope
Demo

Orderof
Crystallization
We can see the order
of crystallization
under the microscope

Crystals can react with the melt if they touch it

If the first formed crystals of Calcium-rich (Ca) Plagioclase touch the melt they will react with it,
and will become more sodium-rich on their outer rims

Zonedfeldspar(plagioclase)showingchangein
compositionwithtimeinmagmachamber
(calciumrichincoretosodiumrichatrim)

However, if early crystals are removed, the

melt becomes richer in Silica
Remove
Fe, Mg, Ca
Some Si

Left with
K and Al
Most of Si
You can start with a
Mafic (silica-poor) magma
and end up with some
Felsic (silica-rich)
Granites.

Marble Demo

A melt will crystallize its mafic components first, and the remaining melt may be granitic

Characteristics of magma
Igneous rocks are typically classified by

both:

Texture
Mineral composition

Texture in igneous rocks is determined by the size

and arrangement of mineral grains

Igneous textures

Most important is crystal size

Factors affecting crystal size

Rate of cooling
Slow rate promotes the growth of fewer
but larger crystals
Fast rate forms many small crystals
Very fast rate forms glass

Types of Igneous textures

Types of igneous textures

Aphanitic (fine-grained) texture

Rapid rate of cooling of lava or magma
Microscopic crystals
May contain vesicles (holes from gas bubbles)

Phaneritic (coarse-grained) texture

Slow cooling
Crystals can be identified without a
microscope

Aphanitic texture

Fine grained because it cooled

quickly at the surface

Phaneritic texture

Coarse crystals cooled slowly

at great depth

Igneous textures
Types of igneous textures

Porphyritic texture
Minerals form at different temperatures as
well as differing rates
Large crystals, called phenocrysts, are
embedded in a matrix of smaller crystals,
called the groundmass

Glassy texture
Very rapid cooling of molten rock
Resulting rock is called obsidian

Porphyritic texture

Granite
Two-stage cooling?

Glassy texture

Obsidian
Fast cooling

More types of Igneous

textures
Types of igneous textures

Pyroclastic texture
Various fragments ejected during
a violent volcanic eruption
Textures often appear to more
similar to sedimentary rocks

PyroclasticRock
SuperheatedFlows

Naming igneous rocks pyroclastic

rocks
Composed of fragments ejected during a
volcanic eruption
Varieties
Tuff ash-sized fragments
Volcanic breccia particles larger than
ash

Ash and pumice layers

Still more types of Igneous

textures
Types of igneous textures

Pegmatitic texture
Exceptionally coarse grained crystals
Form in late stages of fractionation of
magmas
This is often what prospectors are
looking for
APegmatitewithFeldsparandZircon

Zirconisverygoodforobtainingradiometricages

Show tray of Mafic Minerals

Igneous Compositions
Igneous rocks are composed primarily of

silicate minerals that include:

dark (or ferromagnesian) colored silicates
Olivine
Pyroxene
Amphibole
versus

MAFIC Magnesium and Iron

Show tray of Felsic Minerals

Igneous Compositions
Igneous rocks also contain light colored

silicate minerals that include:

Quartz
Muscovite mica
Feldspars

FELSIC Feldspar and Silica

IgneousRockClassificationBowensReactionSeriesonitsside
Note Minerals in

Felsic rocks crystallize from warm melts

Note Minerals in

Mafic from hot melts

Igneous compositions
Naming igneous rocks granitic (felsic) rocks

Granite
Phaneritic
Over 20 percent quartz, about 25 percent or
more feldspar (usually much more feldspars).
Plagioclase is Sodium-rich
Abundant and often associated with
mountain building
The term granite covers a wide range of
mineral compositions

Igneous compositions
Naming igneous rocks granitic (felsic) rocks

Rhyolite
fine grained because extruded,
Extrusive equivalent
of granite
so crystallized quickly
May contain glass fragments and vesicles
Aphanitic texture (means fine grained minerals)
Less common and less voluminous than granite
Phenocrysts can include quartz and feldspar

Igneous compositions
Basaltic composition can be fine or coarse
Composed of dark Olivine and Pyroxene and grey
calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar
No Potassium-rich feldspar (no K-spar
Microcline)
Designated as being mafic (magnesium and
ferrum, for iron) in composition
Much denser than granitic rocks - sinks
Comprises the ocean floor as well as many volcanic
islands such as Hawaii. Also rift valley lavas

Igneous compositions
Naming igneous rocks basaltic (mafic) rocks:

Fine-grained

Basalt
Volcanic origin
Aphanitic texture

Composed mainly of pyroxene, some olivine and also

calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar
Most common extrusive igneous rock

Scoria type Basalt: note Gas Bubble Pits

Igneous compositions
Naming igneous rocks basaltic (mafic) rocks:

Coarse Grained

Gabbro
Intrusive equivalent of basalt
Phaneritic texture consisting of pyroxene
and calcium-rich plagioclase
Makes up a significant percentage of the
oceanic crust, beneath the basalt pillow
lavas.

Igneous compositions
Other compositional groups

Intermediate (or andesitic) composition

Contain at least 25 percent dark silicate minerals
Associated with explosive volcanic activity
Often gray

Igneous
compositions

Intermediate

rocks

Andesite
Volcanic origin
Aphanitic texture
Often resembles rhyolite
Intermediate silica content
Frequent composition in volcanoes above
subduction zones, e.g. in Andes Mountains

Igneous compositions
Extrusive products can include:

Pumice
Volcanic
Glassy texture, very light weight, mostly air
Frothy appearance with numerous voids
(extrusive foam)
Forms when lavas have a lot of water and other
volatiles
Common with
intermediate
compositions

Igneous
composition
s

Intermediate rocks

Diorite
Plutonic equivalent of andesite
Coarse grained
Intrusive
Composed mainly of intermediate feldspar and
amphibole

Silica Content
Silica content influences a magmas

behavior
Granitic magma

Plutonic
Granite

High silica content

Extremely viscous
Liquid exists at temperatures as low as 700oC
Huge explosion if it erupts (Yellowstone, Toba)
When Yellowstone
explodes, half of Wyoming
will perish

Volcanic
Rhyolite

Silica Content
Silica content influences a magmas behavior

Basaltic magma
Much lower silica content
Fluid-like behavior

Crystallizes at higher temperatures

Gurgles when it erupts (Hawaii)

Origin of Magma
Role of Pressure
Reducing the pressure lowers the melting
temperature the rock probably melts
RIDGE: When confining pressures drop,
decompression melting occurs

Origin of Magma
Role of volatiles - WATER
Volatiles (primarily water) cause
rocks to melt at lower
temperatures
This is particularly important
where oceanic lithosphere
descends into the mantle in a
subduction zone

Assimilation and magmatic

differentiation

Show Samples

Basalts forming in rifts and MORs

Decompression Melting:
Magma under lithosphere heats and cracks
it. Mantle rock is exposed to low pressures
it partially melts

Origin of Andesite & Diorite:

intermediate silica content

Basaltic here
Good diagram for the
Andes Mountains
Small blobs, not much heat in them
Assimilate some crust, fractionate

Plate Tectonics- Andesite Line

Andes

Andesites form above the deep portions of a subduction zone

48

Origin of Granitic Rocks

Huge blobs under thick

part of continent w/ low
temps but lots of
magma, fractionation &
assimilation => Granite
Batholiths

Can also get small amounts of granites from deep felsic rock passed by ascending magma

Some intrusive igneous

structures