Do flood basalts have high viscosity?
One explanation for flood basalts is that they are caused by the combination of continental rifting and its associated melting. Then a mantle plume produces vast quantities of a basaltic magma. These have a low viscosity, which is why they ‘flood’ rather than form taller volcanoes.
What viscosity do flood basalts have?
Thus, basaltic magmas tend to be fairly fluid (low viscosity), but their viscosity is still 10,000 to 100,0000 times more viscous than water.
Does basalt have high or low viscosity?
Basalt is a hard, black volcanic rock with less than about 52 weight percent silica (SiO2). Because of basalt’s low silica content, it has a low viscosity (resistance to flow). Therefore, basaltic lava can flow quickly and easily move >20 km from a vent.
Why are flood basalts so fluid?
Flood basalt lava cools quite slowly, so that dissolved gases in the lava have time to come out of solution as bubbles (vesicles) that float to the top of the flow. Most of the rest of the flow is massive and free of vesicles.
What are flood basalts associated with?
Flood basalts are the result of massive volcanic eruptions and are a type of large igneous province (LIP). These characterize Earth’s submarine and subaerial surface and have been formed at various times in the geological past. Good examples are the Siberian and the Deccan traps.
What are giant flood basalts quizlet?
Flood basalts. they are continuous eruptions as a result of giant volcanic eruptions through long fissure through the earths crust. only happened once in history.
Is basaltic high viscosity?
A basaltic lava flow has a low viscosity due to its low SiO2 content. Eruptions associated with basaltic lava usually are not explosive due to the low silica and gas content. Gases escape more easily when silica content is low. Because of the low viscosity, basaltic lava flows spread out, forming extensive layers.
Is basaltic less viscous?
Differences in a magma’s viscosity will determine the shape a volcano takes. High-silica (basalt) magma has a much lower viscosity. It flows much easier and over longer distances. As low-silica magma cools, it hardens to rock, adding a new thin layer of rock to the volcano.
How is the viscosity of magma related to its explosivity?
How is the viscosity of magma related to its explosivity? The more viscous the magma, the more explosive the eruption.
What type of volcano is flood basalts?
What are giant flood basalts?
Flood Basalts are high volume eruptions that flood vast areas of the Earth, covering broad regions with flat lying lava surfaces. They are said to be the result of mantle convection through hot spots, which occur sporadically in time and place.
What are flood basalts quizlet?
Flood basalts. they are continuous eruptions as a result of giant volcanic eruptions through long fissure through the earths crust.
What is flood basalt?
Flood basalt. A flood basalt is the result of a giant volcanic eruption or series of eruptions that covers large stretches of land or the ocean floor with basalt lava.
What are tholeiitic basalts?
Tholeiitic basalts are the most common eruptive rocks produced by submarine volcanism from the tholeiitic magma series, forming much of the oceanic crust and mid-oceanic ridges.
What are the characteristics of a low phosphorus and titanium type basalts?
The low phosphorus and titanium type has an excess of elements from the crust such as potassium and strontium. The content in incompatible elements of flood basalts is lower than that of ocean island basalts, but higher than that of mid-ocean ridge basalts.
What type of rock is tholeiitic?
Tholeiitic Basalt. Tholeiitic basalts are the most common eruptive rocks produced by submarine volcanism from the tholeiitic magma series, forming much of the oceanic crust and mid-oceanic ridges.