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The planet we live on: The beginnings of the Earth Sciences

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Figure 1.47: Deposit <strong>of</strong> volcanic ash with small bombs in <strong>the</strong> upper layer.tens <strong>of</strong> kilometres across, are called plut<strong>on</strong>s. Since plut<strong>on</strong>s cool slowly, <strong>the</strong>ir rocks arealways coarse-grained. As <strong>the</strong>y cool, <strong>the</strong> plut<strong>on</strong>s heat up <strong>the</strong> surrounding rock, producingmetamorphic z<strong>on</strong>es that can be hundreds <strong>of</strong> metres wide, called metamorphic aureoles.If <strong>the</strong> magma remains liquid, it can intrude higher into <strong>the</strong> crust, forcing its way throughcracks in <strong>the</strong> rock and al<strong>on</strong>g bedding planes as sheets <strong>of</strong> magma. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> cooling <strong>of</strong> thismagma is much quicker, so <strong>the</strong> igneous rocks produced are normally medium-grained.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> edges <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se intrusi<strong>on</strong>s cool even faster, forming fine-grained chilled margins andheating <strong>the</strong> edges <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> surrounding rock to form thin metamorphic z<strong>on</strong>es called bakedmargins. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> sheet-like igneous intrusi<strong>on</strong>s that cut across rocks are called dykes (Figure1.48) whilst sheets al<strong>on</strong>g bedding planes are sills.This range <strong>of</strong> igneous processes allows us to identify <strong>the</strong> igneous rocks and structuresyou might find in a rock face according to first principles. Plut<strong>on</strong>s are deep slow-coolingintrusi<strong>on</strong>s which are <strong>of</strong>ten silicic (made <strong>of</strong> pale-coloured coarse-grained granite) or mafic(darker coloured coarse-grained gabbro). Dykes and sills are shallo<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>r tabular intrusi<strong>on</strong>sthat are usually formed <strong>of</strong> medium-grained rocks. Mafic rocks that reach <strong>the</strong> surface involcanic fissures produce tabular or pillow basalts. Intermediate magmas erupt from centralvents forming andesitic lavas but also deposits <strong>of</strong> volcanic blocks and ash, whilst silicicmagmas produce huge volumes <strong>of</strong> volcanic blocks and ash in highly explosive erupti<strong>on</strong>s.1.5 Metamorphic rocks - formed by heat and pressurein metamorphic processesMetamorphic rocks have been changed from <strong>the</strong>ir original rocks by great heat and/or pressuredeep in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Earth</strong>’s crust, but have not been heated up enough to melt <strong>the</strong>m (if <strong>the</strong>y32

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