Geology for Civil Engineer

Lecture 4: Igneous Rock

Ardhi University
School of Architecture,
Construction Economics
and Management (SACEM)

1 Dr. John E. Elvis

 Introduction

What Is an Igneous Rock?

Igneous rocks are formed through the

cooling and solidification of magma.
Magma – molten rock (deep the mantle)
generated deep beneath the Earths surface
Lava – The material reaches the surface of
the Earth and flow out from explosive
volcanoes. Generate lava and hot springs
 Igneous Rock
Why do rocks melt?
Earth’s mantle and crust are mainly solid.
Special conditions are required for melting.
These include
– Depressurisation-lower pressure
– Adding water or other volatiles
– Heating to the point of melting
 Magma Types
3 Common magmas
Basaltic Andesitic Rhyolitic
45-55% SiO2 55-65% SiO2 >65% SiO2
Composition of Rock types
 Magma Temperature

Rhyolitic magma 600 - 900°C

Andesitic magma 800-1000°C

Basaltic magma 1200°C

 Viscosity of Magma
 Viscosityof a magma depends on
temperature and composition

 The higher the temperature, the lower

the viscosity.

 Thegreater the silica content the

higher the viscosity.
 108
Viscosity Units

106

104

102

50 60 70
% SiO2 by wt
Cooling and solidification

 When a magma cools it usually produces

crystals, this processes is known as
crystallization.
 Different magmas produce different minerals
 Different minerals crystallize at different
temperatures
Cooling and solidification
Igneous Rock Formation
Types igneous rocks (Grain size)
Type 1: Intrusive rocks
 Magma in the Earth’s crust that may rise to higher
levels and penetrate the rocks above it without
reaching the surface (Major intrusion).
 Magma that solidifies in the crust cools slowly and has
sufficient time to form large mineral (course) grains.
 Examples: plutons, stocks, batholiths
 When the magma rises and fills fractures it form
minor intrusion (small igneous bodies). Ex. are dykes,
sills & laccoliths
 Ex. of intrusive rock are granite; gabbro; quartz;
dolerite; porphyry
Types igneous rocks (Grain size)
Type 2: Extrusive rocks
 This is due to deposits formed by the consolidation of
lava and fragments ejected during a volcanic eruption
results.
 Magma that solidifies on the surface usually cools
rapidly, allowing insufficient time for large crystals to
grow.
 The largest ejected mass fall in and around the vent
 Smaller particles of ash and dust are blown by wind,
when harden form a rock called tuffs
 Ex. of Extrusive rock are basalt; pumice; scoria;
obsidian
Glassy Rocks (Extrusion Rocks)

If a magma cools very quickly

– Atoms lack time to organize themselves
into minerals.
– The resulting rock is a glass (no crystals)
– Extrusive igneous rocks that are largely or
wholly glassy are called obsidian.
Glassy Rocks (Extrusion)
 Eruption of Igneous Rock

16
Eruption Style—Nonexplosive or Explosive?
 Low viscosity magmas produce nonexplosive eruptions.
 In viscous magmas, expanding gases result in explosive
eruptions and produce fragments called volcanic ash.
Basalt Eruption
 Basaltic eruptions produce shield volcanoes, broad,
gently sloping, dome-shaped mountains.
 Low-viscosity basaltic lavas can flow for kilometers
down gentle slopes.
Tephra
 Most eruptions produce tephra – airborne
volcanic debris

Bombs > 64 mm

Lapilli 2-64 mm

Ash < 2 mm
 Volcanic Bombs
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

 Lapilli
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

 Volcanic Ash
Lesson 1

24 Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

Tephra Cones
Tephra- rock fragments and particles ejected by a volcanic eruption

Volcanic vent

Tephra

30° Angle of rest

Andesitic eruptions

 Andesitic volcanoes emit both viscous lava

flows and tephra.
 The emissions tend to alternate, forming layers
(strata) of lava and tephra, building a
stratovolcano (a volcano built up of alternate
layers of lava and ash).
Andesitic eruptions
 Pyroclastic Flows

 When the mixture of hot gases and pyroclasts is

dense than the atmosphere, the turbulent mixture
flows down the side of the volcano.

 A hot, highly mobile flow of tephra that rushes

down the flank of a volcano is called a
pyroclastic flow.

 Pyroclastic flows are also known as glowing

cloud.
 Pyroclastic Flows

29
 Mineral Assemblage of Igneous
Rocks
 The group of minerals that occur in a rock is
known as its mineral assemblage
 All common igneous rocks consist mainly of:
– Quartz.
– Feldspar (both potassium feldspar and
plagioclase).
– Mica (both muscovite and biotite).
– Amphibole.
– Pyroxene.
– Olivine.
 Colors of Igneous Rocks
 The overall lightness or darkness of a rock is a
valuable indicator of its makeup.
– Light-coloured minerals are:
Quartz.
Feldspar.
Muscovite.
– Dark-coloured minerals are:
Biotite.
Amphibole.
Pyroxene.
 Characteristics of Igneous Rocks
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

 Characteristics of Igneous Rocks
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

Lesson 1

Granite Rhyolite
Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion
Lesson 1

Andesite
Diorite
Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion
Lesson 1

Gabbro Basalt

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

Intrusive Igneous Bodies - Plutons

 All bodies of intrusive igneous rock, regardless of

shape or size, are called plutons, after Pluto, the
Greek god of the underworld.

 Plutons are given special names depending on

their shape and size.
 Intrusive Rock formation

38
Minor Plutons: Dykes and Sills
 Dyke is a tabular, sheet-like (thin but laterally
extensive) body of igneous rock that cuts across the
layering or fabric of the rock into which it intrudes.

 Sill is a tabular and sheet-like, like a dike, but runs

parallel to the layering or fabric of the rocks into
which it intrudes.
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

Minor Plutons: Laccoliths and Volcanic
Pipes

 A laccolith is parallel to the layering of the rocks

into which it intrudes but forces the layers of rock
above it to bend, forming a dome.
 A volcanic pipe is the roughly cylindrical conduit
that once fed magma upward to a volcanic vent.
Major Plutons

 A batholith is the largest kind of pluton. It is an

intrusive igneous body of irregular shape that cuts
across the layering or other fabric of the rock into
which it intrudes.
Xenoliths

 Rising magma can dislodge fragments of the

overlying rock, and the dislodged blocks, being
cooler and dense than the magma, sink. This
process, called stoping, can produce xenoliths.
– Any rock fragment still enclosed in a magmatic
body when it solidifies is a xenolith.
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

 Layered Intrusions - Skaergaard Greenland
Lesson 1

Campbell CLB: MS Office 2007 Companion

 Geology Lecture 4 –
Igneous Rock
28/03/2023
WEDNSDAY
09:00-11:00 AM
ARU
49