Bowens Reaction Series
Bowens Reaction Series
Bowens Reaction Series
Le
s
tet s Si 4+
rah
i
sit edra n
es
l
Some
Si4+
of
ge
n k a dra
s l i ah e
L e s a te tr
c
si li
No Si4+
plagioclase)
Biotite
All
cations
are Si4+
n
Potassium Feldspar
Mo
4+ i l
i
r
s il e l
S ra
Muscovite
ic a i n k
re hed
o
tet a g e
M tra e s
rah o Quartz
te sit
ed f
ra
Minerals
More
forming at
4+
Si - Si4+ lowest
repulsion temperatures
*Bowen's (1922) original formuation of the "reaction principal" included this middle
branch for the spinels. Zircon is added here for the sake of completeness.
LBR BowensRxnSeriesSketch 07 rev 1/2007
Li
2681
1700
Na
Be
2+
1193
Mg2+
3125
3+
723
4+
216
Al 3+
2345
Si
4+
1996
Li + Be2+ B 3+
5+
ross
of c elow
h
t
Pa ion b
t
sec
500
5+
Na
855
Ca
3200
Sc 3+
Ti 4+
Ca2+ Sc3+ Ti 4+
Rb+ Sr 2+ Y 3+
290
2103
V 5+
943
charge
radius
Rb
673
2938
Ba
2+
2286
3+
La
Zr
4+
3123
3+
Hf
4+
3173
2580
3493
1785
Ta
5+
2058
Mo
6+
1074
6+
1745
1500
Th 4+
Nb
5+
2000
2500
0
300
3000
2500
200
1500
Cs
Sr
2+
V 5+ Cr 6+
Zr 4+ Nb5+ Mo6+
Cs + Ba2+ La 3+ Hf 4+ Ta 5+ W6+
Cr 6+
10
00
S 6+
6+
2+
32
Mg2+ Al 3+ Si 4+ P5+
N 5+
16
K+
C 4+
H+
Cations
High z/r
Strong
O2
Rb
bonds, but
Intermediate cation-cation
Low z/r
repulsion
z/r
Weak cation- Strong cationoxygen bonds oxygen bonds Thus less
stable
Thus less
Thus stable
solids
stable solids
solids
Melting temperatures of
oxides of hard cations
3000
2500
2000
Dry
1500
1000
500
Wet
Fe3+ Ti4+
Fe2+
K+ Na+ Ca2+
Mg2+ Cr3+ Zr4+
Al3+
0
1
Low ionic potential
(weak cation-O2bonds)
3
4
5
6
7
Intermediate ionic potential
(Stable cation-O2- frameworks)
Si4+
8
9
10
High ionic potential
(cation-cation repulsion)
DiscontinuousSeries
Middle track of Bowen's Reaction Series:
Spinels etc.
Right side of Bowen's Reaction Series:
Continuous Series
M
Average ionic
potential of mineral
Melting
temperatures
of oxides
of hard
cations
3000
Forsterite (Mg-olivine)
Chromite
Magnetite
L
Anorthite (Ca-plagioclase)
2500
M
Ilmenite
Titanite (sphene)
Augite
2000
Zircon
Plagioclase: Ab50An50
1500
Hornblende
Dry
Biotite
R
Albite (Na-plagioclase)
1000
Muscovite
Wet
K-feldspar
500
Quartz
K+ Na+ Ca2+ Fe2+ Mg2+
0
Si4+
7
10
(cation-cation repulsion)
Pyroxenes
(e.g. augite)
Amphiboles
(e.g.,
hornblende)
Spinels
(Chromite,
Magnetite,
etc.)*
Zircon
Plagioclase
Feldspars
H+
Cations
N
1
16
Mleting
temperature (C)
of oxides of hard
cations
All
cations
are Si4+
Li
S6+
Melting temperatures of
oxides of hard cations
3000
2500
2000
Dry
1500
1000
500
Fe3+ 4+
Fe2+
Na+Ca2+ Mg2+ 3+ 4+Ti 3+
+
K
Al
Cr Zr
High z/r
charge
= ionic potential
radius
Si4+
Strong
O2
bonds, but
Intermediate
cation-cation
Low z/r
z/r
repulsion
Strong cationWeak cationThus less
oxygen bonds
oxygen bonds
stable solids
Thus stable
Thus less stable
solids
solids
Rb
Wet
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 9 10
Low ionic potential Intermediate ionic potential
High ionic potential
2(weak cation-O bonds) (Stable cation-O2- frameworks) (cation-cation repulsion)
Minerals
forming at
highest
temperatures
Biotite
32
More cations of
intermediate
ionic potential
(e.g., Mg2+)
forming stable
bonds with O2-
Albite
(sodic
plagioclase)
Anorthite
(calcic
plagioclase)
Less
Si4+ - Si4+
repulsion
Mo
+ in l
Potassium Feldspar
4
i
s i l re
S ra
i c a lin
Muscovite
e hed
r
k
te t a g
s
o
ra e
M etra site
he of Quartz
t
dr
a
Le s
tetrah s Si 4+ in
edral
sites
of
Less linkage
ra
silica tetrahed
Olivine
Some
Si4+
No Si4+
Bowen's
Reaction
Series
K
LBR BRSV06 rev. 1/2007
Discontinuous
reaction series
Olivine
Pyroxenes
ore d
ens
Continuous
reaction series
Ca-Plagioclase
Increasing
linkage of
Increasing
Increasing
silicate
density
melting
tetrahedra, Increasing
of
in crystals viscosity minerals temperature
of magma
of minerals
or in
in the presence
magma
of H O
(e.g. augite)
Amphiboles
(e.g. hornblende)
K-Feldspar
KAlSi3O8
mica)
Sialic/Felsic
Cl u
d
ke
s
tetr ters of lin 't
n
a he
a
d ra c
fl ow a di ly.
re
CaAl2Si2O8
Na-Plagioclase
(albite)
NaAlSi3O8
SiO2
Silicon- and
aluminum-rich
(anorthite)
Muscovite (white
Quartz
on = m
i on
ls re.
pu tu
re era
p
Mafic
(Fe,Mg)2SiO4
KAl3Si3O10(OH)2
More ir
Plagioclase is a
kind of feldspar
Felspar-like
Macroscopic
results:
Crystal shapes:
elongate chain silicates,
planar layer silicates,
equant framework
silicates.
Patterns of volcanism:
Explosive eruptions and steepsided volcanoes of sialic
magmas, vs. flowing volcanism
and gently-sloping volcanoes
or flood basalts of mafic
magmas.
Global topography:
Buoyant sialic
continents with tops
above sea level, and
dense mafic ocean
floor below sea level.
Global geography:
Differentiation
of sialic continental
crust by partial
melting.
Fast cooling:
Maximum
possible
travel for
atom at left
Maximum
possible
travel
Multiple
possible
random
walks
Longer cooling time
allows longer random
walks of atoms to sites on crystals
Size of crystals:
Descriptive terms on the
basis of whether crystals
are visible to naked eye:
coarse-grained
phaneritic
fine-grained
aphanitic
intrusive
extrusive
plutonic
volcanic
20
Wet
melting
of basalt
I S
1500
Pressure (kilobars)
Depth (km)
50
50
Dry
melting
of basalt
1500
50
The curves at left are only schematic and would move with
changing rock composition and/or changing water content.
20
10
500
1000
Temperature (C)
Pressure (kilobars)
Pressure (kilobars)
Pressure (kilobars)
Heat
Melt
Depth (km)
Depth (km)
1500
500
1000
Temperature (C)
Wet
melting
of basalt
Dry
melting
of basalt
0 Earth- 500
1000
surface
conditions Temperature (C)
Depth (km)
20
10
10
Dry
melting
of basalt
50
20
10
0
1500
500
1000
Temperature (C)
Melt
H2O
lt
Solid
Partia
l melt
Melt
Asthenosphere
As plates of oceanic
lithosphere move
apart at divergent plate
boundaries (at midocean ridges), underlying asthenospheric rock flows
upward. Its upward movement requires a decrease in
pressure that allows melting and thus produces melt.
These melts form the Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts
(MORB) and underlying gabbros of the oceanic crust.
Solid
Part
ial m
e
Solid
Partia
l melt
Solid
Partia
l melt
Solid
Partia
l melt
I S
Dry
melting
of basalt
1000
1500
50
Depth (km)
1622
Tm(PH2O = 5 kb)
1722
1553
1391
1890
0.25
1.0
(Al+Si)
2.0
Mafic
Sialic
Pressure (kilobars)
LBR OriginofMagamas. . .
9/2010
1530
(Mg+Ca)
1118
Tm(1 atm)Dry
Temperature (C)
500
Wet
melting
of basalt
10
0
0 Earthsurface
conditions
Minerals
Forsterite (Mg2SiO4)
1234
1295
Anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8)
1077
Diopside (CaMgSi2O6)
Solid
Partia
l melt
748
876
Water released from the subducting oceanic plate at a convergent plate boundary induces
melting that produces island arcs
and continental arcs. In the former
case, the result is largely basalt,
whereas the latter produces both
grano-dioritic intrusive rocks and
basaltic to rhyolitic volcanics.
Melt
HO
2
Solid
Partia
l mel