MTEL Earth Science Practice Test

Category - Earth Science

Bowen's reaction series helps geologists explain the occurrence of various minerals in a particular igneous rock primarily because it defines the:
  1. Temperature at which different minerals in a magma will solidify.
  2. Rate at which crystals grow within a cooling magma.
  3. Chemical changes that occur after a rock has solidified.
  4. Crystal systems that will develop as a rock forms under pressure.
Explanation
Correct Response: A. Bowen's reaction series is a system that identifies the temperature at which specific minerals in a cooling magma will solidify. The system helps geologist approximate the thermal conditions that an igneous rock formed under based on the specific minerals it contains. The rate at which minerals grow in a cooling magma (B) is determined by the chemistry of the magma and the rate that the temperature and pressure of the magma change during cooling. Bowen's reaction series does not account for changes in the mineral composition of rocks that occur after the magma solidifies (C) and it does not define which crystal systems that the minerals in a magma will crystallize into (D). 
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