Andesite

For the extinct cephalopod genus, see Andesites.

A sample of andesite (dark groundmass) with amygdaloidal

vesicules lled with zeolite. Diameter of view is 8 cm.

Andesite pillar in Slovakia

desite and other volcanic rocks are illustrated in QAPF

diagrams.
Classication of andesites may be rened according to the
most abundant phenocryst. Example: hornblende-phyric
andesite, if hornblende is the principal accessory mineral.
Andesite can be considered as the extrusive equivalent
of plutonic diorite. Characteristic of subduction zones,
andesite represents the dominant rock type in island
Andesite Mount arnov (Vtnik), Slovakia
arcs. The average composition of the continental crust is
andesitic.[2] Along with basalts they are a major compoAndesite /ndsat/ is an extrusive igneous, volcanic nent of the Martian crust.[3] The name andesite is derived
rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to from the Andes mountain range.
porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite, and ranges from 57
to 63% silicon dioxide (SiO2 ) as illustrated in TAS diagrams. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by 1 Generation of melts in island arcs
plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,
zircon, apatite, ilmenite, biotite, and garnet are common Magmatism in island arc regions (i.e., active oceanic maraccessory minerals.[1] Alkali feldspar may be present in gins) comes from the interplay of the subducting plate and
minor amounts. The quartz-feldspar abundances in an- the mantle wedge, the wedge-shaped region between the
1

4 SEE ALSO

subducting and overriding plates.

During subduction, the subducted oceanic crust is submitted to increasing pressure and temperature, leading
to metamorphism. Hydrous minerals such as amphibole,
zeolites, chlorite etc. (which are present in the oceanic
lithosphere) dehydrate as they change to more stable,
anhydrous forms, releasing water and soluble elements
into the overlying wedge of mantle. Fluxing water into
the wedge lowers the solidus of the mantle material and
causes partial melting.[4] Due to the lower density of the
partially molten material, it rises through the wedge until it reaches the lower boundary of the overriding plate.
Melts generated in the mantle wedge are of basaltic composition, but they have a distinctive enrichment of soluble elements (e.g. potassium (K), barium (Ba), and lead
(Pb)) which are contributed from sediment that lies at the
top of the subducting plate. Although there is evidence to
suggest that the subducting oceanic crust may also melt
during this process, the relative contribution of the three
components (crust, sediment, and wedge) to the generated basalts is still a matter of debate.[5]

2.2 Partial melting of the crust

Partially molten basalt in the mantle wedge moves upwards until it reaches the base of the overriding crust.
Once there, the basaltic melt can either underplate the
crust, creating a layer of molten material at its base, or it
can move into the overriding plate in the form of dykes.
If it underplates the crust, the basalt can (in theory) cause
partial melting of the lower crust due to the transfer of
heat and volatiles. Models of heat transfer, however,
show that arc basalts emplaced at temperatures 1100 1240 C cannot provide enough heat to melt lower crustal
amphibolite.[6] Basalt can, however, melt pelitic upper
crustal material.[7] Andesitic magmas generated in island
arcs, therefore, are probably the result of partial melting
of the crust.

2.3 Magma mixing

In continental arcs, such as the Andes, magma often pools

in the shallow crust creating magma chambers. Magmas in these reservoirs become evolved in composition
(dacitic to rhyolitic) through both the process of fractional crystallization and partial melting of the surround2 Genesis of andesite
ing country rock. Over time as crystallization continues
and the system loses heat, these reservoirs cool. In order
Andesite is typically formed at convergent plate margins
to remain active, magma chambers must have continued
but may occur in other tectonic settings. Intermediate
recharge of hot basaltic melt into the system. When this
volcanic rocks are created via several processes:
basaltic material mixes with the evolved rhyolitic magma,
the composition is returned to andesite, its intermediate
1. Fractional crystallization of a mac parent magma. phase.[8]
2. Partial melting of crustal material.
3. Magma mixing between felsic rhyolitic and mac
basaltic magmas in a magma reservoir

3 Andesite in space

In 2009, researchers revealed that andesite was found in

two meteorites (numbered GRA 06128 and GRA 06129)
that were discovered in the Graves Nunatak Iceeld dur2.1 Fractional crystallization
ing the US Antarctic Search for Meteorites 2006/2007
points to a new mechanism to
To achieve andesitic composition via fractional crystal- eld season. This possibly
[9]
generate
andesite
crust.
lization, a basaltic magma must crystallize specic minerals that are then removed from the melt. This removal
can take place in a variety of ways, but most commonly
this occurs by crystal settling. The rst minerals to crys- 4 See also
tallize and be removed from a basaltic parent are olivines
List of rock types
and amphiboles. These mac minerals settle out of the
magma, forming mac cumulates. There is geophysical
Continental crust and the oceanic crust
evidence from several arcs that large layers of mac cumulates lie at the base of the crust. Once these mac
Metamorphism
minerals have been removed, the melt no longer has a
Origins of granite
basaltic composition. The silica content of the residual
melt is enriched relative to the starting composition. The
Fractional crystallization (geology)
iron and magnesium contents are depleted. As this pro Andesite line
cess continues, the melt becomes more and more evolved
eventually becoming andesitic. Without continued addi Porphyry
tion of mac material, however, the melt will eventually
Basaltic andesite
reach a rhyolitic composition.

References

[1] Blatt, Harvey and Robert J. Tracy, 1996, Petrology, Freeman, ISBN 0-7167-2438-3
[2] Rudnick, Roberta L.; Fountain, David M. (1995).
Nature and composition of the continental crust: A
lower crustal perspective.
Reviews of Geophysics
33 (3): 267309.
Bibcode:1995RvGeo..33..267R.
doi:10.1029/95RG01302.
[3] Cousins, Claire R.; Crawford, Ian A. (2011).
Volcano-Ice Interaction as a Microbial Habitat on Earth and Mars.
Astrobiology 11
(7):
695710.
Bibcode:2011AsBio..11..695C.
doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0550. PMID 21877914.
[4] Tatsumi, Y. (1995). Subduction Zone Magmatism. Oxford: Blackwell Scientic.
[5] Eiler, J.M. (2003). Inside the Subduction Factory. San
Francisco: AGU Geophysical Monograph 138.
[6] Petford, Nick; Gallagher, Kerry (2001). Partial melting of mac (amphibolitic) lower crust by periodic inux
of basaltic magma. Earth and Planetary Science Letters
193 (34): 48399. Bibcode:2001E&PSL.193..483P.
doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(01)00481-2.
[7] Annen, C.; Sparks, R.S.J. (2002). Eects of repetitive emplacement of basaltic intrusions on thermal
evolution and melt generation in the crust. Earth
and Planetary Science Letters 203 (34): 93755.
Bibcode:2002E&PSL.203..937A. doi:10.1016/S0012821X(02)00929-9.
[8] Reubi, Olivier; Blundy, Jon (2009). A dearth of intermediate melts at subduction zone volcanoes and the
petrogenesis of arc andesites. Nature 461: 12691273.
doi:10.1038/nature08510.
[9] Day, James M. D.; Ash, Richard D.; Liu, Yang; Bellucci, Jeremy J.; Rumble, Douglas; McDonough, William
F.; Walker, Richard J.; Taylor, Lawrence A. (2009).
Early formation of evolved asteroidal crust. Nature
457 (7226): 17982. Bibcode:2009Natur.457..179D.
doi:10.1038/nature07651. PMID 19129845. Lay summary Newswise (January 7, 2009).

External links
Origins of the Continental Crust
Island arc magmatism
Experimental and Theoretical Constraints on Peridotite Partial Melting in the Mantle Wedge
Igneous Rock Textures

7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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Andesite Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andesite?oldid=648973776 Contributors: Matusz, Stormwriter, Muriel Gottrop, Stone,

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