Magma
hideMagma is molten rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles. Magma often collects in a magma chamber inside a volcano. Magma is capable of intrusion into adjacent rocks, extrusion onto the surface as lava, and explosive ejection as tephra to form pyroclastic rock.
Magma is a complex high-temperature fluid substance. Temperatures of most magmas are in the range 700°C to 1300°C (or 1292°F to 2372°F), but very rare carbonatite melts may be as cool as 600°C, and komatiite melts may have been as hot as 1600°C. Most are silicate solutions.
Environments of magma formation and compositions are commonly correlated. Environments include subduction zones, continental rift zones, mid-oceanic ridges, and hotspots, some of which are interpreted as mantle plumes. Despite being found in such widespread locales, the bulk of the Earth's crust and mantle is not molten. Rather, most of the Earth takes the form of a rheid, a form of solid that can move or deform under pressure. Magma, as liquid, preferentially forms in high temperature, low pressure environments within several kilometers of the Earth's surface.
Magma compositions may evolve after formation by fractional crystallization, contamination, and magma mixing. By definition, all igneous rock is formed from magma.
While the study of magma has historically relied on observing magma in the form of lava outflows, magma was discovered in situ for the first time in 2008.
For more information about Magma, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with magma
Scientists Install Seismic Sensors in Galapagos to Generate First 3-D Images of a Hotspot Magma Plumbing System
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of geologists led by Cindy Ebinger of the University of Rochester have deployed 16 seismic sensors on one of the Galapagos Islands to study the processes of ocean island formation -- particularly those ...
Mars breakthrough: Scientists uncover red planet's hot and steamy secrets
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 21, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (20) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An analysis of Martian meteorites has led scientists to believe that Mars was molten for up to 100 million years after it formed, thwarting the evolution of early life on the planet.
Scientists' Drill Hits Magma: Only Third Time on Record
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 29, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (23) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists drilling a borehole deep into Iceland’s rocky crust to explore new methods of using geothermal energy hit a major roadblock on Thursday: Their drill ran into molten rock at a depth ...
New study closes in on geologic history of Earth's deep interior
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 15, 2009 |
4 / 5 (5) |
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By using a super-computer to virtually squeeze and heat iron-bearing minerals under conditions that would have existed when the Earth crystallized from an ocean of magma to its solid form 4.5 billion years ...
Earth's crust melts easier than previously thought
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Mar 18, 2009 |
3.6 / 5 (14) |
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A University of Missouri study published in Nature this week has found that the Earth's crust melts easier than previously thought. In the study, researchers measured how well rocks conduct heat at differ ...
CAT scan reveals inner workings of volcano island
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 19, 2008 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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On the ground and in the water, an international team of researchers has been collecting imaging data on the Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat to understand the internal structure of the volcano and how ...
Magma Discovered in Situ for First Time
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 16, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (17) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A crew drilling on the Big Island of Hawaii has discovered magma, the molten rock material — never before found in its natural habitat underground — that is the central ingredient in the evolution of planets ...
Deep magma matters in volcanic eruption cycle
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 09, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
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Although the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat exhibits cycles of eruption and quiet, an international team of researchers found that magma is continuously supplied from deep in the crust but that a valve ...
Icelandic volcanoes help researchers understand potential effects of eruptions
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 14, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (12) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, researchers have taken a detailed look at what lies beneath all of Iceland's volcanoes – and found a world far more complex than they ever imagined.
Geologists Discover Magma and Carbon Dioxide Combine to Make 'Soda-Pop' Eruption
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 10, 2008 |
3.9 / 5 (9) |
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This discovery overturns a longtime belief by geologists, who thought that carbon dioxide was incapable of dissolving in magma, said Calvin Barnes, professor of geosciences and lead investigator.
