How come there is no transition state in between something like ice and water like how there is between stone and lava. Is there actually some sort of viscous, in-between, water/ice that I just don’t know about?
In: Chemistry
Magma is a mix of minerals with different melting points so when rock is heated, the minerals with the lowest melting points melt first and separate from those with higher melting points. This is what happens in the Upper Mantle when the basalt magma that creates the ocean floor separates from the higher temperature minerals in there Mantle itself. The liquid magma is less dense and pushes up towards the surface.
The same process happens in reverse when magma cools. The minerals with the highest melting point crystallise first leaving low temperature minerals in the magma. As it happens, the low melting point minerals tend to create stickier magma than high temperature minerals; so a body of magma under a volcano that has partially crystallised tends to create more explosive eruptions. Which is why some volcanoes are considered more dangerous if they have not erupted in a long time.
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