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Igneous intrusion
In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and compositions, illustrated by examples like the Palisades Sill of New York and New Jersey; the Henry Mountains of Utah; the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa; Shiprock in New Mexico; the Ardnamurchan intrusion in Scotland; and the Sierra Nevada Batholith of California.
Because the solid country rock into which magma intrudes is an excellent insulator, cooling of the magma is extremely slow, and intrusive igneous rock is coarse-grained (phaneritic). Intrusive igneous rocks are classified separately from extrusive igneous rocks, generally on the basis of their mineral content. The relative amounts of quartz, alkali feldspar, plagioclase, and feldspathoid is particularly important in classifying intrusive igneous rocks.
Intrusions must displace existing country rock to make room for themselves. The question of how this takes place is called the room problem, and it remains a subject of active investigation for many kinds of intrusions.
The term pluton is poorly defined, but has been used to describe an intrusion emplaced at great depth; as a synonym for all igneous intrusions; as a dustbin category for intrusions whose size or character are not well determined; or as a name for a very large intrusion or for a crystallized magma chamber. A pluton that has intruded and obscured the contact between a terrane and adjacent rock is called a stitching pluton.
Intrusions are broadly divided into discordant intrusions, which cut across the existing structure of the country rock, and concordant intrusions that intrude parallel to existing bedding or fabric. These are further classified according to such criteria as size, evident mode of origin, or whether they are tabular in shape.
An intrusive suite is a group of intrusions related in time and space.
Dikes are tabular discordant intrusions, taking the form of sheets that cut across existing rock beds. They tend to resist erosion, so that they stand out as natural walls on the landscape. They vary in thickness from millimeter-thick films to over 300 meters (980 ft) and an individual sheet can have an area of 12,000 square kilometers (4,600 sq mi). They also vary widely in composition. Dikes form by hydraulic fracturing of the country rock by magma under pressure, and are more common in regions of crustal tension.
Ring dikes and cone sheets are dikes with particular forms that are associated with the formation of calderas.
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Igneous intrusion AI simulator
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Igneous intrusion
In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and compositions, illustrated by examples like the Palisades Sill of New York and New Jersey; the Henry Mountains of Utah; the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa; Shiprock in New Mexico; the Ardnamurchan intrusion in Scotland; and the Sierra Nevada Batholith of California.
Because the solid country rock into which magma intrudes is an excellent insulator, cooling of the magma is extremely slow, and intrusive igneous rock is coarse-grained (phaneritic). Intrusive igneous rocks are classified separately from extrusive igneous rocks, generally on the basis of their mineral content. The relative amounts of quartz, alkali feldspar, plagioclase, and feldspathoid is particularly important in classifying intrusive igneous rocks.
Intrusions must displace existing country rock to make room for themselves. The question of how this takes place is called the room problem, and it remains a subject of active investigation for many kinds of intrusions.
The term pluton is poorly defined, but has been used to describe an intrusion emplaced at great depth; as a synonym for all igneous intrusions; as a dustbin category for intrusions whose size or character are not well determined; or as a name for a very large intrusion or for a crystallized magma chamber. A pluton that has intruded and obscured the contact between a terrane and adjacent rock is called a stitching pluton.
Intrusions are broadly divided into discordant intrusions, which cut across the existing structure of the country rock, and concordant intrusions that intrude parallel to existing bedding or fabric. These are further classified according to such criteria as size, evident mode of origin, or whether they are tabular in shape.
An intrusive suite is a group of intrusions related in time and space.
Dikes are tabular discordant intrusions, taking the form of sheets that cut across existing rock beds. They tend to resist erosion, so that they stand out as natural walls on the landscape. They vary in thickness from millimeter-thick films to over 300 meters (980 ft) and an individual sheet can have an area of 12,000 square kilometers (4,600 sq mi). They also vary widely in composition. Dikes form by hydraulic fracturing of the country rock by magma under pressure, and are more common in regions of crustal tension.
Ring dikes and cone sheets are dikes with particular forms that are associated with the formation of calderas.