In the process of a magma cooling and crystallizing, if the original melt contained large amounts of iron, why isn't quartz a ferromagnesian mineral?

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: As a magma begins to crystallize, early-forming minerals like olivine will remove iron from the melt and lock it away in solid crystals, thus preventing later minerals from using iron in their molecular structures.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

You might also like to view...

Plate divergence results in:

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

A person who, usually as a result of violent conflict is forced to leave their home is an ________ ________ ________

Fill in the blank(s) with correct word

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Which of the following do climatologists predict will occur as the Earth continues to warm?

A. all of the answers listed here B. more frequent droughts C. higher evaporation rates D. more frequent heavy rain and snow events E. atmosphere will hold more water vapor

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The theory that all living organisms are descendants of different life forms that existed in the past is called:

A) organic evolution. B) astrology. C) paleontology. D) plate tectonics. E) natural selection.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences