Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 42 views

    vISCOSITY OF mAGMA

    Uploaded by

    Gracie Ching
    1) Basaltic magma has low silica content and viscosity, allowing it to flow easily and frequently from volcanoes like Mauna Loa, forming shield volcanoes with gradual slopes. 2) Rhyolitic magma has an extremely high silica content and viscosity, trapping gases that cause exceptionally explosive eruptions forming calderas like Yellowstone instead of cones. 3) Andesitic magma has intermediate properties, with composite volcanoes like Mount St. Helens resulting from its moderate viscosity and explosivity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    vISCOSITY OF mAGMA

    Uploaded by

    Gracie Ching
    42 views3 pages
    1) Basaltic magma has low silica content and viscosity, allowing it to flow easily and frequently from volcanoes like Mauna Loa, forming shield volcanoes with gradual slopes. 2) Rhyolitic magma has an extremely high silica content and viscosity, trapping gases that cause exceptionally explosive eruptions forming calderas like Yellowstone instead of cones. 3) Andesitic magma has intermediate properties, with composite volcanoes like Mount St. Helens resulting from its moderate viscosity and explosivity.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    1) Basaltic magma has low silica content and viscosity, allowing it to flow easily and frequently from volcanoes like Mauna Loa, forming shield volcanoes with gradual slopes. 2) Rhyolitic magma has an extremely high silica content and viscosity, trapping gases that cause exceptionally explosive eruptions forming calderas like Yellowstone instead of cones. 3) Andesitic magma has intermediate properties, with composite volcanoes like Mount St. Helens resulting from its moderate viscosity and explosivity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    42 views3 pages

    vISCOSITY OF mAGMA

    Uploaded by

    Gracie Ching
    1) Basaltic magma has low silica content and viscosity, allowing it to flow easily and frequently from volcanoes like Mauna Loa, forming shield volcanoes with gradual slopes. 2) Rhyolitic magma has an extremely high silica content and viscosity, trapping gases that cause exceptionally explosive eruptions forming calderas like Yellowstone instead of cones. 3) Andesitic magma has intermediate properties, with composite volcanoes like Mount St. Helens resulting from its moderate viscosity and explosivity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 3

    Volcanoes and Viscosity Student Worksheet: Part 3 Name:

    Part 3: Comparing Viscosity of different magmas

    Background: Magma is molten (melted) rock below the surface. Magmas can differ in their mineral
    content. For example, basaltic (mafic) magma forms at the mid‐ocean ridges or at hot spots under the
    ocean crust, and is high in iron and magnesium, but is low in silica. Silica is found in the form of little
    pyramid‐shaped building blocks called silica tetrahedrons. Rhyolitic (granitic) magma forms from the
    partial melting of continental crust and is low in iron and magnesium, but high in silica. The silica
    content of a magma determines whether it is viscous or fluid. Basaltic (mafic) magma has a low silica
    content, andesitic (intermediate) magma has a medium silica content, while rhyolitic magma has a high
    silica content. As the silica content of a magma increases, the silica tetrahedrons tend to bond together
    into chains. In addition to the silica, magmas will contain metals such as Fe, Mg, and Ca.
    Basaltic (mafic) magma is associated with volcanoes such as Mauna Loa of Hawaii, which erupt
    frequently but are not very explosive. Andesitic (intermediate) magma is associated with composite
    volcanoes such as Mount Saint Helens or Mount Vesuvius, which are explosive, but do not erupt very
    often. Rhyolitic (granitic) magma rarely comes to the surface. When it does, it forms a supervolcano,
    such as Yellowstone or the Long Valley Caldera. Such volcanoes are so explosive that they don’t usually
    produce a volcanic cone, just a caldera where the ground collapses after a magma chamber empties
    itself.

    Figure 1: Silica tetrahedron and metal ions (charged atoms)

    Figure 2: Low Silica Magma Figure 3: High Silica Magma

    Conclusion Questions for Part 3


    4. Based upon the figures above, which kind of magma is likely to be the most
    viscous?
    5. Which kind of mama will allow gases to escape more easily? Explain.
    6. Based on these explanations, which kind of magma will flow more easily through fissures to the
    surface, causing frequent volcanic eruptions?
    7. Based on these explanations, which kind of magma will build up the most pressure from trapped
    gases, resulting in more explosive eruptions?
    8. Is basaltic magma fluid or viscous? Explain.

    Viscosity can be measured in a unit called a Pascal‐second, or Pa*s. In the Table 3 you will see the
    viscosity of two liquids that you observed as well as sample viscosities of basaltic, andesitic and rhyolitic
    magmas. Use the table to answer questions 9‐12.

    Table 3
    water Corn syrup Basaltic magma Andesitic magma Rhyolitic magma
    Pa*s Pa*s Pa*s Pa*s Pa*s
    .001 (1/1,000) 5.0 1,000 1,000,000 1,000,000,000,000

    Conclusion Questions 9‐14

    9. You saw the difference between the viscosity of the water and the viscosity of the corn syrup. Is
    there an even greater difference between the viscosity of basalt magma and the viscosity of rhyolite
    magma?

    10. If corn syrup and water flowed out of a volcano, which would flow farthest?

    11. Volcanoes with fluid magma, have thin lava flows that travel a long distance before they harden. As
    a result, the slope of the volcano is very gradual. Shield volcanoes have a gradual slope. Would you
    expect shield volcanoes to be made of basaltic magma or andesitic magma?

    12. Volcanoes containing rhyolitic magma tend to be so explosive that they spray the lava into the air,
    creating ash and pumice. Once the gas is released, any remaining magma flows very slowly. Why
    are rhyolite volcanoes so explosive?

    13. If you were to get samples of the volcanic rocks around the Long Valley Caldara, what type of
    magma do you think you would find? Explain.

    14. Fill out the summary chart


    Summary chart
    Kind of Silica Viscosity Frequency Thickness Explosiveness Shape of Example
    magma content (high, of of lava of eruptions volcano of a
    (high, med, or eruptions flows (high, med, or (gradual volcano
    med, or low) (high, med, (high, low) or steep)
    low) or low) med, or
    low)
    Basaltic

    Andesitic

    rhyolitic Usually
    no cone

    You might also like