What is komatiite?

How is komatiite formed?

Komatiite forms when a volcano erupts ultramafic lava, very poor in silica and rinch in iron and magnesium. Komatiite has a higher melting point than any modern volcanic rock. Volcanoes today no longer erupt komatiite lava as Earth's interior is no longer hot enough.

Is komatiite intrusive or extrusive?

Extrusive

What is the difference between Granite and Komatiite?

Granite is an intrusive felsic igneous rock. It is high in silica, potassium, aluminum, and sodium. It forms when magma cools slowly underground. Komatiite is an extrusive ultramafic igneous rock. It is poor in silica and rich in iron and magnesium. It forms when lava cools on Earth's surface. Earth's interior is no longer hot enough to produce komatiite lava.

What are the magma types in order of decreasing viscosity?

Most viscous Felsic magma i.e. rhyolite Intermediate magma i.e. andersite Mafic magma i.e. Basalt Ultramafic magma i.e. Komatiite Least viscous

Why is lava sometimes green?

No. It generally will glow red. Basaltic lava may have a black crust on it and cools into black rock. More felsic lavas may be gray on the surface. Komatiite lava, which has not erupted since the Precambrian Time would have glowed red or yellow when it erupted and then may have taken on a greenish tint when it cooled into rock.

What is the temperature range for magma?

Magma is a complex high-temperature fluid substance. Temperatures of most magmas are in the range 700 °C to 1300 °C (or 1300 °F to 2400 °F), but very rare carbonatite melts may be as cool as 600 °C, and komatiite melts may have been as hot as 1600 °C. Most are silicate mixturess.

What is the rarest kind of rock in the world?

Meteorites of Martian origin would have to be at or near the top of the list. Very few museums and universities are in possession of them. Burgess shale is also in demand for its evidence of early lifeforms from the Cambrian Period. EDIT: The title of rarest kind of rock in the world is a close tie between the oldest rock in the world, one piece found in Canada, and one in India, and a "rock" called painite, which there are about 50 pieces of. Though there are more pieces of painite, the mass of all of them combined would be equal to or less than the oldest rock in the world combined.

How magmas melt?

Magma [from Greek μάγμα, paste] is molten rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles. Magma often collects in a magma chamber inside a volcano. Magma is capable of intrusion into adjacent rocks, extrusion onto the surface as lava, and explosive ejection as tephra to form pyroclastic rock.Magma is a complex high-temperature fluid substance. Temperatures of most magmas are in the range 700 °C to 1300 °C (or 1300 °F to 2400 °F), but very rare carbonatite melts may be as cool as 600 °C, and komatiite melts may have been as hot as 1600 °C. Most are silicate mixturess.

Is lava heterogeneous?

No, there are different types of lava. Most lavas are on a spectrum of compositions ranging from mafic to felsic. The classic image of lava is of basaltic lava such as that found in Hawaii. This is mafic lava, meaning that it has a low viscosity and a low silica content. Volcanoes that produce basaltic lava typically not not erupt very explosively. This is the most common type of lava. Basaltic lava can also be divided into two categories: pahoehoe which has a smooth, ropy texture and a'a, which forms a jagged surface. Next up on the spectrum is andesitic lava which is of intermediate composition, meaning it is more viscous and has a higher silica content. This lava is viscous enough that it has trouble flowing downhill. It usually has more gasses trapped in it (when it is underground, where it is called magma) and is often ejected in explosive eruptions. Further up is dacitic lava, which is of intermediate-felsic composition, meaning it is even more viscous and contains even more silica. It is so viscous that rather than flowing out of a volcano, it sometimes builds into a dome on top of the vent it comes out of. A number of volcanoes with dacitic compositions have produced very explosive eruptions including Mount St Helens and Mount Pinatubo. Then there is rhyolitic lava, which is felsic, meaning it has the highest viscosity and highest silica content. It is so viscous that has trouble reaching the surface, so the magma often cools underground, forming granite. Some very powerful volcanoes have erupted rhyolite, including the supervolcanoes at Yellowstone and Lake Toba.Two special kinds of lava should also be mentioned. The first is Komatiite, This lava is not mafic but ultramafic, meaning it has a lower silica content and viscosity than mafic lava. However, earth's interior is not longer hot enough to produce volcanoes with komatiite lava.The other kind of lava is carbonatite which is completely off the mafic-felsic spectrum of silicate lavas. Instead, this is the world's only known carbonate lava. It has a very low viscosity (due to the absence of silica) and a low melting temperature compared with other lavas. It is only found at one volcano: Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania.

What is the melting point of magma?

Temperatures of most magmas are in the range 700 °C to 1300 °C (or 1292 °F to 2372 °F), but very rare carbonatite melts may be as cool as 600 °C, and komatiite melts may have been as hot at 1600 °C

What is komatiite?

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