The Evolution of the Igneous Rocks

work by Bowen

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June 26, 2026

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Norman L. Bowen's work on igneous rocks, particularly his reaction series, explains how minerals crystallize from cooling magma. The series is divided into two branches: a discontinuous series where minerals like olivine transform into new minerals as temperature drops, and a continuous series where plagioclase feldspar changes composition.

These reactions are crucial because early-formed, high-temperature minerals can react with the remaining liquid magma to form new minerals as it cools. If these early crystals are removed, such as by gravity, the magma can evolve into rocks with different mineral compositions. This process, known as fractional crystallization, helps explain the diversity of igneous rocks like basalt, andesite, and granite, which form at different temperature ranges and have varying silica content.123

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Earth sciences
Experimental study of rocks
…systems, brought together in his Evolution of the Igneous Rocks (1928). Experimental petrology, both at the low-temperature range explored by van ’t Hoff and in the high ranges of temperature investigated by Bowen, continues to provide laboratory evidence for interpreting the chemical history of sedimentary and igneous rocks. Experimental petrology…
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…systems, brought together in his Evolution of the Igneous Rocks (1928). Experimental petrology, both at the low-temperature range explored by van ’t Hoff and in the high ranges of temperature investigated by Bowen, continues to provide laboratory evidence for interpreting the chemical history of sedimentary and igneous rocks. Experimental petrology…
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Norman L. Bowen
…was published in 1928 as The Evolution of the Igneous Rocks. In this vigorous presentation, Bowen provided a survey and a synthesis that have exerted a profound influence on petrologic thought. Later Bowen collaborated extensively with J.F. Schairer, a young and able experimenter who had joined the laboratory from Yale…
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…was published in 1928 as The Evolution of the Igneous Rocks. In this vigorous presentation, Bowen provided a survey and a synthesis that have exerted a profound influence on petrologic thought. Later Bowen collaborated extensively with J.F. Schairer, a young and able experimenter who had joined the laboratory from Yale…
Read More