HOW MAGMAS OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITIONS EVOLVE A msjor opic of investigation for geologsts = why igneous rocks areso ‘aried in compostion Ona siobal scale, magma ‘composition is clearly contolledby geeloge sing. Bu why? Why are basaltic magmas accociated with oceanic crwst, ‘whereas granitic magmas we common inthe continental crus? Onaleca scale, igneous todies often show considerable vara tin ia rock type. Por instance, individual patows typically da Pay a caatdersble range of comporitinns, met varstice of ‘rant, but many alsowillcontain minoe anounts of gabbro or Aiorit In this section, we describe processes that resultin if ferences in composition of magmas. The final section ofthis chapterseltes thee procestes to pte tectonics forthe haze view of igneous activity Sequence of Crystallization and Melting rly inthe twenticth comury, NL. Bonen conducted sree cfexperiments that determined the sequence inwhich minerals crysiallize in a cooling magiaa. The sequence became? known ‘ Bowen'sreacticn series andisshown in figure 1.18, Asin= ‘lifed explination ofthe seis and its imporunce toigieou spcke ie presented next. Bowen's experiments stowed that in a cooling masme cctain ninerab ar sable athigher melting emperatites and Crysiallize before those stable a lower temperatures. Locking tthe dscentinuoas branch, which contains oly ferromegt tpesian mineral, we ean tee that clivine egetallizes before pyroxene and pyrotene cystlizes before amphibole. A com plication is that early formed crystals reac with the remait~ dng melt and reerystallie as cooling proceeds, For stance, cael formed clivine crystals ret withthe meleand rsry™ Lllize tw pyroxene when pyroxene’ temperatare of erswall= zation is reached. Upon fartier cneing, pyroxene contincs to crystallize ential of the melts wed up or the melting ‘temperature of amphibole is reached. At this pot, pyroxere react with the maining mele and amphibole forms at ite expense alla the itor and magresiam in te melt isused up before al ofthe pyroxene recy stalizes to amphibole, then the ferromagresian minerals in the solid rock would ke amptibole and pyroxene. (The rock would notcontaa olivine cbt) CCrstalization in the discentinuous and the continuous branche takes place a the same time. The continuous branch contains only plagioclase feldspar. Plagiocise isa solid~ Ssoluion mineral (dscassed in chapter 9 on minerals) in Which ‘ther sodium or calcium atoms can he accommodated in erssal structure, alorg with aluminum, siicen, and oxygen. ‘The composition of lagioclise changes ar magma is cooled and earlier formedcrytals react withthe met The first phigc- ase eryatels to formas « het molt cools contain caliuts butFIGURE 11.18 evesraon es Te mato nse sone Wey gered Mewes # wpm var ena he dig =e hh te ba litle or no sodium. Asccoling continues, the early formed erys- tals grow and incorporate progressively more sodium into theit crystal structures. ‘Any magma left after the crystallization is completed along ‘the two branches is richer in silicon than the original magma andalso contains abundant potassium and aluminum. The potas sium and aluminum combine with silicon te Ferm porassium Jfeldspar (Ifthe water pressure is high, muscovite may also Form a this stage.) Excess SiO, erystallizes as quartz, From Bowen's reaction series, we can derive several important concepts that are necessary to understand igneous rocks and processes: + Armafic magma will crystallize into pyroxene (with or ‘without olivine) and calcium-rich plagioclase—that is, basalt or gabbro—if the early formed crystals are not removed from the remaining magma. Similarly, an inter- ‘mediate magma will crystallize ito diorite or andesite, if carly formed minerals are not removed. + If minerals are separated from a magma, the remaining ‘magma is more silicic than the original magma, For exam- ple, if olivine and calcium-rich plagioclase are removed, the residual melt would be richer in silicon and sodium and ‘poorer in iron and magnesium,