Igneous Rocks

Internet exercise

Dr. Anna Balog-Szabo

In the igneous chapter you have learned that as we go deeper in the earth crust the temperature becoming higher. This higher temperature can be used and we call it Geothermal energy. Our first task is to learn about how can it be used by humans.

Watch the following movie on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA27aEamWzY

Answer the following questions:

1.    What is the source of the geothermal energy?

2.    Where most of the geothermal energy is produced in the USA?

3.    How the inside heat of the Earth gets up to the surface?

4.    Describe the demonstration for the convection current.

5.    What are the three things which needed for geothermal reservoir?

6.    Describe the demonstration for the geothermal reservoir.

7.    What is enhanced geothermal system?

8.    How does the geothermal heat pump works? Sketch it, and explain it!

You can also watch this short movie about the geothermal pump:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBHHqw6TRXk

Now turn our focus to the igneous rocks:

There are 4 groups we are learning about: Felsic, Intermediate, mafic, ultramafic.  This grouping is based on the SiO₂ content of the silicate minerals in the rocks.

We can also group igneous rocks based on their texture: intrusive and extrusive.

Let’s start with felsic igneous rocks:

Granite: Copy and paste a really good granite picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions: (to copy a picture here, find the picture, right click on it, choose copy; go back to your paper, right click at the place where you want to put it and choose paste; when the picture is there you can change the size by clicking on the image.)

a.    What is the texture of granite?

b.    What does it mean? How fast did the magma cool down?

c.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form?

d.    List some location of granite with its age.

e.    List some important usage of granite.

Rhyolite : Copy and paste a really good Rhyolite picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions:                    

a.    What is the texture of Rhyolite? How is it different from the granite. Sketch each of their  texture here show me how you see the difference? What does it mean in term of the cooling?

b.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does rhyolite form in?

c.    List some famous rhyolite locations.

Pumice: Copy and paste a really good pumice picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions:

a.    What is the texture of rhyolite?

b.    What does it mean? How fast did the magma cool down?

c.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form?

d.    List some location of rhyolite with its age.

e.    How do we use rhyolite?

f.     Compare the rhyolite texture with that of the fiber glass we use for insulation in our houses?

Obsidian: Copy and paste a really good obsidian picture here

a.    What is the texture of obsidian?

b.    What does it mean? How fast did the magma cool down?

c.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form in?

d.    List some location of obsidian with its age.

Let’s continue with the intermediate group:

Diorite: Copy and paste a really good diorite picture here (just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions:

a.    What is the texture of diorite?

b.    What does it mean? How fast did the magma cool down?

c.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form in?

d.    List some location of diorite with its age.

e.    List some of the usage of diorite:

Andesite: Copy and paste a really good granite picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions:

a.    What is the texture of andesite?

b.    What does it mean? How fast did the magma cool down?

c.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form?

d.    List some location of andesite with its age.

Finally let’s get to the mafic group

Gabbro: Copy and paste a really good gabbro picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions:

a.    What is the texture of gabbro?

b.    What does it mean? How fast did the magma cool down?

c.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form?

d.    List some location of gabbro with its age.

e.    How do we use gabbro?

f.     What is labradorite?

basalt: Copy and paste a really good basalt picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions

a.    What is the texture of basalt?

b.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form?

c.    List some location of basalt with its age.

Dunite: Copy and paste a really good dunite picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and answer the following questions you can change the size by clicking on the image.)

a.    What is the texture of dunite?

b.    What kind of plate tectonic environment does it form?

c.    List some location of dunite with its age.