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Intrusive Igneous Activity. Plutons result from the cooling and hardening of magma within the earth Exposed at surface after uplift and erosion Pluton refers to Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld. Origin of Magma. Magma is rock melted by earth’s internal heat
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Intrusive Igneous Activity Plutons result from the cooling and hardening of magma within the earth Exposed at surface after uplift and erosion Pluton refers to Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld
Origin of Magma Magma is rock melted by earth’s internal heat Magma results from melting of the crust and upper mantle Earth’s internal temperature increases with depth from 20-30°C per kilometer Known as geothermal gradient
Where is Magma Produced? Subduction zones, friction between two tectonic plates Water decreases melting temp at subduction zones Subduction creates continental and marine volcanic arcs Hot spots, rising material melts due to lessening of pressure (decompression melting)
Earth’s Geothermal Gradient Temperature increases with depth within the earth
Pluton Classification Plutons classified by size, shape, and relationship to surrounding rock layers Types of Plutons: Sills Laccoliths Dikes Batholiths Stocks
Sills & Laccoliths A sill forms when magma is injected between sedimentary layers Sills resemble buried lava flows A laccolith is a type of sill that pushes the overlying rock layers into an arch shape
Sill Sill A sill results from molten magma injected into sedimentary layers Sills are parallel to the layers Sedimentary layers http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/WebImg/Sill.gif
Perfect Sill Sedimentary layers are visible above and below the sill Sill http://z.about.com/d/geology/1/0/J/S/sill.jpg
Laccolith Bear Butte, a laccolith near the Black Hills in Wyoming, has been exposed by weathering http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/images/laccolith.gif
Dikes Dikes are plutons that form when magma is injected into fractures that cut across existing rock layers Dikes can radiate like spokes on a wheel from a volcanic neck Ship Rock, NM Dike
Dike in Sedimentary Layers http://www.rosssea.info/geology.html Notice how the igneous intrusion (dike) has cut across existing sedimentary layers Dike
Batholith Largest plutons, often form mountain ranges Surface exposure > 100 square kilometers (km2) Stocks are < than 100 km2 Batholiths can form the cores of mountains
Batholiths Idaho features some large batholiths Half Dome at Yosemite, CA is part of a batholith complex
Igneous Stock • Devil’s Post Pile in California is an igneous stock • Note the 6-sided columnar jointing of the basalt http://www.anthroarcheart.org/tblt7.htm