Hot melted rock lives deep down. It can change as it cools. It grows tiny hard bits. These bits fall out. Then the liquid changes. This makes new kinds of rock. Do you like rocks?
Deep in the Earth, rocks can melt. This liquid rock is called magma.
As the magma cools, it starts to change. Tiny hard bits called crystals grow in the liquid. These crystals can sink to the bottom.
When the crystals leave, the liquid changes too. It might get new parts. This happens because the magma is cooling down.
Sometimes, new hot magma flows into the old magma. This can mix the two together. It can also add more heat.
These changes help make many different kinds of rock. It is how the Earth makes its many layers.
Magma is liquid rock deep inside the Earth. As it cools, it can change into different kinds of rock. This change is called igneous differentiation. Scientists use this term to describe many ways magma changes.
One way it changes is through fractional crystallization. This happens when minerals turn into hard crystals as the magma cools. These crystals can separate from the liquid. This leaves the remaining liquid with a new mix of parts. Another way is through assimilation. This is when hot magma melts the rocks around it. The magma then mixes with those melted rocks.
Magma can also change through replenishment. This is when a fresh batch of hot magma enters a chamber. This adds new heat and new parts to the mix. Finally, magma mixing happens when two different magmas meet. They blend together to make a new type of magma. These steps help make many different rocks, like basalt or granite. Even the gases inside the magma, like water, play a part in these changes.
Magma is liquid rock found deep inside the Earth. As it cools, it can change into many different kinds of rock. Scientists use the term igneous differentiation to describe this whole process. It is an umbrella term for many ways that magma changes its chemical makeup. This can happen while the magma is melting, cooling, or even erupting. These changes create a sequence of different magmas called a magma series.
One main way this works is through fractional crystallization. As magma cools, certain minerals turn into solid crystals. These crystals can then separate from the liquid part of the melt. This leaves the remaining liquid with a new chemical mix. Another way is through assimilation. This happens when hot magma melts the surrounding wall rocks. The magma then mixes with those melted rocks to change its own makeup.
Scientists use special names to track these changes. A primary melt is the very first liquid formed from a rock. These are also called primitive melts when they come from the Earth's mantle. Because we cannot see the mantle directly, these melts help us model the Earth. If we cannot find the first melt, we look for a parental melt. This is a magma that scientists believe produced the rocks we see today.
There are several other ways magma changes its recipe. A process called replenishment happens when fresh, hot magma enters a chamber. This adds new heat and new parts to the existing mix. Magma mixing occurs when two different types of magma meet and blend. This can create intermediate rocks like monzonite or andesite. Scientists use the acronym FARM to remember these steps. FARM stands for fractional crystallization, assimilation, replenishment, and magma mixing.
These processes help explain why different rocks look and act differently. For example, granite magma is very thick and moves in large masses. This is because it has high viscosity, which means it is not very fluid. On the other hand, mafic magmas are more fluid and flow easily. They can form shapes like dikes and sills. Even the gases inside the magma, like water, play a role in these changes.
Igneous differentiation, often called magmatic differentiation, is a group of geological processes. These processes change the chemical makeup of magma over time. This change can happen during partial melting, cooling, emplacement, or eruption. As the magma changes, it often becomes more silicic, which means it has more silica. This sequence of changing magmas is known as a magma series. Understanding these changes helps geologists reconstruct the history of the Earth's interior.
To understand these changes, scientists look at different types of melts. A primary melt is the very first liquid produced when a rock melts. It represents the original starting composition of the magma. When these melts come directly from the Earth's mantle, they are called primitive melts. Because we cannot observe the mantle directly, primitive melts are vital tools. They allow scientists to model the composition of the rocks that formed the mantle. If a primary melt cannot be found, scientists look for a parental melt. A parental melt is the specific composition that produced a group of observed magmas through differentiation.
One of the most important mechanisms is fractional crystallization. This occurs when minerals crystallize out of the liquid melt and separate from it. This separation changes the chemical composition of the remaining liquid. This process is highly complex and depends on temperature, pressure, and the magma's initial composition. For example, in mafic or ultramafic melts, the levels of magnesium oxide (MgO) and silica (SiO2) determine which minerals form. These levels decide if forsterite olivine or enstatite pyroxene will precipitate. Pressure also plays a role. High-pressure conditions can produce different granites than low-pressure conditions.
Another major process is assimilation. This happens when hot magma melts and incorporates the surrounding wall rocks. This process can change the chemistry of the magma significantly. For instance, a hot primitive melt rising through a cooler, felsic crust will melt that crust. The resulting mix alters the original composition of the magma. Scientists have found that assimilation is fundamental to changing the isotopic composition of magmas. It also plays a role in creating important ore deposits and influencing volcanic eruptions.
Magma chambers are rarely static, single environments. They are often subject to replenishment, which is the injection of fresh, hot magma. This new magma provides extra heat and can trigger vigorous convection. It can also cause existing minerals to dissolve back into the melt. Replenishment changes the chemistry of the liquid, which changes which minerals crystallize next. For example, injecting fresh magma can change the type of plagioclase feldspar that forms. This can even reverse previous trends in mineral layers.
Magma mixing is another common occurrence in volcanic systems. This happens when two different magmas meet and blend together. The resulting magma has a composition somewhere between the two original types. This is a primary way that intermediate rocks, such as monzonite and andesite, are formed. In some areas, granitic melts called underplates form from the melting of the crust. When basaltic melts from the mantle rise and meet these underplates, they create an intermediate composition. This mixing is a key part of how open-system magma chambers operate.
Geologists use the acronym FARM to remember the four main drivers of differentiation. FARM stands for fractional crystallization, assimilation, replenishment, and magma mixing. Other factors like interface entrapment and partial melt extraction also contribute. Interface entrapment happens when friction and viscosity trap crystals near the walls of a magma chamber. This can create flow banding. Partial melt extraction occurs when the liquid portion of a cooling chamber is removed. This leaves behind a remnant that no longer matches the original parental magma.
Finally, the physical properties of the magma influence how it behaves. Granite magmas have very high viscosity, meaning they are thick and not very fluid. Because they move in large, concerted masses, they often form large structures called plutons. Mafic magmas are much more fluid and flow more easily. This allows them to form thinner shapes like dikes and sills. Mafic magmas are also more likely to undergo rapid crystallization and frequent replenishment. Even dissolved gases, especially water, are integral parts of these complex magmatic systems.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.