CHAPTER 4 Up from the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The difference between lava and magma is that ____________.
a. magma is light in color and lava is dark
b. magma usually has mafic composition and lava usually has felsic composition
c. magma is found beneath the Earths surface, whereas lava has reached the surface
d. magma flows more quickly than lava
ANS: C
2. A blob-like igneous rock body that has cooled beneath the surface of Earth is called a

____________.
guyot
pluton
lava flow
andesite

a.
b.
c.
d.

ANS: B
3. A dike is ____________.
a. a sheetlike intrusion that lies parallel to surrounding layers of sedimentary rock
b. a cooled layer of lava
c. an intrusion formed within the magma chamber of a volcano
d. a sheetlike intrusion that cuts across preexisting layers
ANS: D
4. A sill is ____________.
a. a sheetlike intrusion that lies parallel to surrounding layers of sedimentary rock
b. a cooled layer of lava
c. an intrusion formed within the magma chamber of a volcano
d. a sheetlike intrusion that cuts across preexisting layers
ANS: A
5. Geologically, melts are equivalent to both ____________.
a. felsic and mafic magmas
b. felsic and mafic lavas
c. lavas and magmas
d. fine-grained and coarse-grained igneous rocks
ANS: C
6. Igneous rocks ____________.
a. are formed through the freezing of melt
b. can be produced at the surface of the Earth as well as deep below the surface
c. are the most common type of rocks within Earth
d. all of the above
ANS: D

7. Very early in Earths history, it was so hot that the surface was likely entirely molten.
a. true
b. false
ANS: A
8. Radioactive isotopes, differentiation of Earths iron core, gravity-driven compression, and

meteoric bombardment all caused early Earth to ____________.

glow brighter than the Sun
be much cooler than at present
be much hotter than at present
be much more oblong than at present

a.
b.
c.
d.

ANS: C
9. When magma crystallizes, ____________ are formed.
a. intrusive igneous rocks C. volatiles
b. extrusive igneous rocks D. pyroclastic debris
ANS: A
10. The geotherm is the rate of change of ____________.
a. pressure with depth in Earths interior
b. temperature with depth in Earths interior
c. temperature with altitude in Earths atmosphere
d. temperature with latitude on Earths surface
ANS: B
11. The formation of magma within Earth is NOT caused by which of the following processes?
a. decompression (drop in pressure)
b. addition of volatiles
c. transfer of heat from adjacent magma or very hot rocks
d. loss of volatiles to the atmosphere
ANS: D
12. If a body of magma is subjected to fractional crystallization, the rock that results is expected

to be ____________.
a. identical in chemical composition to the magma
b. more mafic than the magma
c. more felsic than the magma
ANS: B
13. Volatiles refer to substances that ____________.
a. crystallize most rapidly out of a melt
b. melt immediately upon contact with a hot body of magma
c. have a tendency to evaporate and are stable as gases
ANS: C

14. If the volatile content of magma is increased, its viscosity will ____________.
a. increase
b. decrease
c. stay the same
ANS: B
15. If a body of magma becomes more felsic, its viscosity will ____________.
a. increase
b. decrease
c. stay the same
ANS: A
16. All of the Earths internal heat was acquired very early in its history through meteoric impact

and differentiation of the core. The Earths interior loses heat to space but does not currently
receive heat through any known process.
a. true
b. false

c. komatiite
d. rhyolite
ANS: D
26. Coarse-grained diorite is most similar in mineral composition to fine-grained ____________.
a. andesite
b. basalt
c. komatiite
d. rhyolite
ANS: A
27. Coarse-grained gabbro is most similar in mineral composition to fine-grained ____________.
a. andesite
b. basalt
c. komatiite
d. rhyolite

ANS: B
28. Most commonly, felsic igneous rocks ____________.
a. contain more iron and magnesium than intermediate rocks
b. are lighter in color than mafic rocks
c. are darker in color than mafic rocks
d. are found in oceanic crust
ANS: B
29. Stoping by magmas occurs when ____________.
a. pieces of surrounding country rock are broken off and assimilated
b. the magma stops flowing and starts to solidify
c. the magma becomes fully solidified to form intrusive rock
d. the magma alters a thin rind of surrounding country rock
ANS: A
30. Important volatiles in magmas include ____________.
a. iron- and magnesium-rich minerals, such as olivine
b. potassium and aluminum
c. water and carbon dioxide
d. trinitrotoluene and nitroglycerin
ANS: C
31. Which type of magma has the greatest silica content?
a. felsic
b. intermediate
c. mafic
d. ultramafic
ANS: A
32. When rock is melted within Earth, typically the entire volume of rock is transformed from a

solid state to a liquid.

a. true
b. false
ANS: B
33. In Bowens discontinuous reaction series, the first mineral to crystallize from a mafic melt is

____________.
olivine
plagioclase
pyroxene
quartz

a.
b.
c.
d.

ANS: A
34. Bowens continuous reaction series describes the crystallization behavior of a single mineral

(with variable chemical composition), ____________.

a. olivine

b. plagioclase
c. pyroxene
d. quartz
ANS: B
35. An igneous rock with a mixed texture of coarse grains (phenocrysts) surrounded by fine

crystals (groundmass) is termed ____________.

a. porphyritic
b. phaneritic
c. aphanitic
d. necrotic
ANS: A