Chapter 3 Intrusive Igneous Rocks

ROCKS- Igneous Rocks, Intrusive Activity, and the Origin of
Igneous Rocks
The Rock Cycle
• A rock is a naturally formed,
consolidated material usually
composed of grains of one or more
minerals
• The rock cycle shows how one type of
rocky material gets transformed into
another
– Representation of how rocks are formed, broken
down, and processed in response to changing
conditions
– Processes may involve interactions of geosphere
with hydrosphere, atmosphere and/or biosphere
– Arrows indicate possible process paths within
the cycle
The Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics
• Magma is created by melting of rock
above a subduction zone
• Less dense magma rises and cools
to form igneous rock
• Igneous rock exposed at surface
gets weathered into sediment
• Sediments transported to low areas,
Convergent plate boundary
buried and hardened into sedimentary rock
• Sedimentary rock heated and squeezed at depth to form metamorphic rock
• Metamorphic rock may heat up and melt at depth to form magma
Igneous Rocks
• Magma is molten rock
• Igneous rocks form when magma
cools and solidifies
– Intrusive igneous rocks form when
magma solidifies underground Granite
• Granite is a common example

– Extrusive igneous rocks form when
magma solidifies at the Earth’s
surface (lava)
• Basalt is a common example
Basalt
Igneous Rock Textures
• Texture refers to the size, shape and
arrangement of grains or other constituents
within a rock
• Texture of igneous rocks is primarily
controlled by cooling rate
• Extrusive igneous rocks cool quickly at or near Fine-grained igneous rock
Earth’s surface and are typically fine-grained

(most crystals <1 mm)
• Intrusive igneous rocks cool slowly deep
beneath Earth’s surface and are typically
coarse-grained (most crystals >1 mm)
Coarse-grained igneous rock
Special Igneous Textures
• A pegmatite is an extremely coarse-grained
igneous rock (most crystals >5 cm) formed when
magma cools very slowly at depth
• A glassy texture contains no crystals at all, and is

formed by extremely rapid cooling
Pegmatitic igneous rock
• A porphyritic texture includes two distinct crystal

sizes, with the larger having formed first during
slow cooling underground and the small forming
during more rapid cooling at the Earth’s surface
Porphyritic igneous rock

Igneous Rock Identification
• Igneous rock names are based on texture (grain size) and mineralogic
composition
• Textural classification
– Plutonic rocks (gabbro-diorite-granite) are coarse-grained and cooled slowly at
depth
– Volcanic rocks (basalt-andesite-rhyolite) are typically fine-grained and cooled
rapidly at the Earth’s surface
• Compositional classification
– Mafic rocks (gabbro-basalt) contain abundant dark-colored ferromagnesian minerals
– Intermediate rocks (diorite-andesite) contain roughly equal amounts of dark- and
light-colored minerals
– Felsic rocks (granite-rhyolite) contain abundant light-colored minerals
Igneous Rock Identification
• Igneous rock names are based on texture (grain size) and
mineralogic composition
Chemistry (mineral content)
Igneous Rock Chemistry
• Rock chemistry, particularly silica (SiO2) content, determines mineral
content and general color of igneous rocks
– Mafic rocks have ~50% silica, by weight, and contain dark-colored minerals
that are abundant in iron, magnesium and calcium
• Intrusive/extrusive mafic rocks - gabbro/basalt
– Felsic (silicic) rocks have >65% silica, by weight, and contain light-colored
minerals that are abundant in silica, aluminum, sodium and potassium
• Intrusive/extrusive felsic rocks - granite/rhyolite
– Intermediate rocks have silica contents between those of mafic and felsic rocks
• Intrusive/extrusive intermediate rocks - diorite/andesite
– Ultramafic rocks have <45% silica, by weight, and are composed almost
entirely of dark-colored ferromagnesian minerals
• Most common ultramafic rock is peridotite (intrusive)
Intrusive Rock Bodies
• Intrusive rocks exist in bodies or structures that penetrate
or cut through pre-existing country rock
• Intrusive bodies are given names based on their size,
shape and relationship to country rock
– Shallow intrusions: Dikes and sills
• Form <2 km beneath Earth’s surface
• Chill and solidify fairly quickly in
cool country rock
• Generally composed of Insert new Fig. 3.11 here
fine-grained rocks
• Intrusive rocks exist in bodies or structures that penetrate or
cut through pre-existing country rock
• Intrusive bodies are given names based on their size, shape
and relationship to country rock
– Deep intrusions: Plutons
• Form at considerable depth beneath Earth’s
surface when rising blobs of magma (diapirs)
get trapped within the crust
• Crystallize slowly in warm country
rock
• Generally composed of coarse-
grained rocks
• Volcanic neck
– Shallow intrusion formed when magma solidifies in throat
of volcano
• Dike
– Tabular intrusive structure that cuts across any layering in
country rock
• Sill Light-colored dikes
– Tabular intrusive structure that parallels layering in country
rock
• Pluton
– Large, blob-shaped intrusive body formed of coarse-grained
igneous rock, commonly granitic
– Small plutons (exposed over <100 km2) are called stocks,
large plutons (exposed over >100 km2) are called batholiths Basaltic sill
Sierra Nevada batholith

Deep intrusive structures:
Batholiths
• Surface exposure >

100 km2
 What causes rocks to melt?
 The internal Earth is hot.
 Temperature increases downward
 Yet the interior of the Earth is mostly solid
 Melts occur by three processes:

 Decompression melting
 Heating
 Water-flux melting
Decompression
melting: LIQUID
Normal conditions:
Mantle is not hot
enough to melt
SOLID
Decompression
melting:
Move mantle rocks up
toward the surface –
decrease the pressure at
a given temperature
Normal conditions:
Mantle is not hot
enough to melt
Increase
temperature of
rocks at a given
depth
Water decreases the
melting temperature of
hot rock
= FLUX MELTING
Fluxing effect- Used in

foundries. Add flux
and metal melts at a
lower temperature
Normal conditions:
Mantle is not hot enough to
melt
Water decreases the
melting temperature of
hot rock
= FLUX MELTING
Fluxing effect- Used in

foundries. Add flux
and metal melts at a
lower temperature
Add water to the mantle.

Change its composition and
thus its melting temperature
 Decompression melting
 Divergent margins
 Hot spots
 Heating
 Hot spots
 Flux melting
 Convergent margins
Crystallization (differentiation)
Assimilation
Magma mixing
1) Crystallization
Magma Crystallization and
Melting Sequence
• Minerals crystallize in a predictable order (and melt in the
reverse order), over a large temperature range, as described by
Bowen’s Reaction Series
• Discontinuous branch
– Ferromagnesian minerals (olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite)
crystallize in sequence with decreasing temperature
– As one mineral becomes chemically unstable in the
remaining magma, another begins to form
• Continuous branch
– Plagioclase feldspar forms with a chemical
composition that evolves
(from Ca-rich to Na-rich) with decreasing
temperature
Bowen’s Reaction Series

Lessons from Bowen’s Reaction Series
• Large variety of igneous rocks is produced by large
variety of magma compositions
• Mafic magmas will crystallize into basalt or gabbro if
early-formed minerals are not removed from the magma
• Intermediate magmas will similarly crystallize into
diorite or andesite if minerals are not removed
• Separation of early-formed ferromagnesian minerals
from a magma body increases the silica content of the
remaining magma
• Minerals melt in the reverse order of that in which they
crystallize from a magma
2) Crustal Assimilation
 Xenoliths (xeno = foreign; lith = rock)
3) Magma mixing

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What are the three main processes that cause rocks to melt?

What is Bowen's Reaction Series and what does it describe?

ROCKS- Igneous Rocks, Intrusive Activity, and the Origin of

• Granite is a common example

Earth’s surface and are typically fine-grained

• A glassy texture contains no crystals at all, and is

• A porphyritic texture includes two distinct crystal

Porphyritic igneous rock

Sierra Nevada batholith

• Surface exposure >

 Melts occur by three processes:

Fluxing effect- Used in

Fluxing effect- Used in

Add water to the mantle.

Bowen’s Reaction Series

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