Questions related to igneous rocks and volcanoes: The Dynamic Earth
- In general, is the material in magma entirely in the liquid state?
- What is magma?
- What do igneous rocks form from?
- Does magma originate in a liquid layer that exists below the crust worldwide?
- Within what layer(s) of Earth's interior are magmas typically generated?
- What is a representative average temperature for basaltic magmas?
- How is the viscosity of basaltic magmas generally described?
- What is a representative average temperature for silicic magmas?
- How is the viscosity of silicic magmas generally described?
- What causes magmas to rise from the area below Earth's surface where they were generated?
- Igneous rock is divided into two broad categories based on whether it forms below Earth's surface or near/at Earth's surface. What is the name of the category of igneous rock that forms near/at Earth's surface?
- What is the name of the category of igneous rock that forms below Earth's surface?
- What characteristic of a fluid is described by its viscosity?
- Do mafic magmas generally have more or less silica than silicic magmas?
- Are mafic magmas generally hotter or cooler than silicic magmas?
- Are mafic magmas generally more viscous or less viscous than silicic magmas?
- Given two magmas extruded onto Earth's surface. Which would be more likely to flow rapidly: a mafic magma or a silicic magma?
- What are two of the most abundant gases emitted by typical volcanic eruption?
- What effect does dissolved water tend to have on the viscosity of a magma?
- What effect does gas (specifically, gas bubbles) tend to have on the viscosity of a magma?
- In what tectonic environment do most igneous rock bodies form within/on oceanic crust?
- What feature in the mantle is most commonly associated with active volcanism that occurs in the interior of plates, away from active plate boundaries?
- What is the descriptive term related to the size, shape and arrangement of minerals in a rock?
- When an igneous rock is composed of grains whose size is small (<~1 mm) and generally similar throughout the rock, how do we describe its texture?
- When an igneous rock is composed of grains whose size is medium to large (>1 mm) and generally similar throughout the rock, how do we describe its texture?
- When an igneous rock has a grain-size distribution that is bimodal (i.e., contains larger grains embedded in smaller grains), how do we describe its texture?
- What is the general interpretation of the cooling rate of an igneous material based on a glassy texture?
- What is the general interpretation of the cooling rate of an igneous rock based on an aphanitic texture?
- What is the general interpretation of the cooling rate of an igneous rock based on an phaneritic texture?
- What is the general interpretation of the cooling rate of an igneous rock based on an porphyritic texture?
- What is the fine-grained material in a porphyritic rock called?
- What are the coarse-grained crystals in a porphyritic rock called?
- Are aphanitic igneous rocks generally intrusive or extrusive?
- Are phaneritic igneous rocks generally intrusive or extrusive?
- Are glassy igneous materials generally intrusive or extrusive?
- What is the origin of a pyroclastic texture?
- Name the rock type: a light-toned igneous rock with a coarse grain size, potassium and plagioclase feldspar, a significant amount of quartz, and some dark minerals.
- Name the rock type: an intermediate-toned igneous rock with a coarse grain size, plagioclase and maybe some potassium feldspar, maybe some quartz, and up to ~40% dark minerals.
- Name the rock type: a dark-toned igneous rock with a coarse grain size, plagioclase feldspar, no quartz, and ~40-90% dark minerals (mostly olivine and pyroxene).
- Name the rock type: a dark-toned igneous rock with a coarse grain size, perhaps some plagioclase feldspar, and at least 90% dark minerals (olivine, pyroxene).
- Name the rock type: a light-toned igneous rock with a fine grain size, potassium and plagioclase feldspar, a significant amount of quartz, and some dark minerals.
- Name the rock type: an intermediate-toned igneous rock with a fine grain size, plagioclase and maybe some potassium feldspar, maybe some quartz, and up to ~40% dark minerals.
- Name the rock type: a dark-toned igneous rock with a fine grain size, plagioclase feldspar, no quartz, and ~40-90% dark minerals (mostly olivine and pyroxene).
- What kind of rock represents the average composition of the continental crust?
- What kind of rock represents the average composition of the oceanic crust?
- What kind of volcanic flow is composed of a jumbled mass of angular blocks -- a Hawaiian word.
- What kind of volcanic flow produces twisted, ropey structures -- a Hawaiian word.
- What kind of very regular joints are produced by the contraction and cracking of an igneous flow, commonly resulting in multi-sided columns of igneous rock?
- What is the term associated with all pyroclastic material ejected from a volcano?
- What is the name of a rock formed by the accumulation of pyroclastic fragments, often in layers?
- What is a volcanic bomb?
- What do we call an igneous material made of a glassy froth or bubble structure, that floats in water until it is saturated?
- What is the most common type of volcanic eruption on Earth?
- What type of volcano has a very broad base and very gently sloping sides?
- What type of volcano has a relatively narrow base and sides that slope steeply at >~30¬°?
- What kind of magma (mafic or silicic) is associated with explosive eruptions?
- What kind of magma (mafic or silicic) is associated with shield volcanoes?
- What kind of magma (mafic or silicic) is associated with composite or strata-volcanoes?
- What kind of magma (mafic or silicic) is associated with the partial melting of the upper mantle?
- What kind of magma (mafic or silicic) is associated with the partial melting of material in the continental crust, perhaps mixed with other constituents?
- What kind of volcano is built up of alternating layers of ash and lava flows, and is intruded by lava domes?
- What is the name given to an intrusive igneous body with a surface exposure of less than 100 square kilometers?
- What is the name given to an intrusive igneous body with a surface exposure of more than 100 square kilometers?
- What is the name given to a tabular intrusive igneous body that cuts across pre-existing layering in the rock that it intrudes?
- What is the name given to a tabular intrusive igneous body that is parallel to pre-existing layering in the rock that it intrudes?
- What is the name given to the core of an extinct volcano, exposed after the flanks of the volcano have been eroded?
- Why is there such great variability in the composition of magma?
- What is the process whereby the composition of the liquid magma evolves to become more silicic because mafic minerals crystallize from the melt first, at higher temperature?
- When the upper mantle is partially melted, and that melt crystallizes, what kind of igneous rock results from that crystallization?
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