Sentences with phrase «molten rock solidifies»

Lava tubes are created when an outer stream of molten rock solidifies and the lava inside drains away.

As the molten rock solidified, the minerals preserved a record of Earth's polarity, the direction its north and south magnetic poles pointed at the time.

Not exact matches

Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks.

Rocks become magnetic by taking on their planet's field while still molten, and this field becomes locked in as they cool and solidify.

Several sites on the near side sampled by Apollo astronauts had rocks enriched with KREEP — for potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE) and phosphorus (P)-- which resists crystallization from magma and hence remains in a molten state until the entire magma ocean has solidified.

Furthermore, any polonium in the molten rock would have decayed long before the liquid could cool enough to solidify.

tectonic Surface activity on a large rocky body (such as a planet or moon) as liquid rock flows up to the surface where it solidifies, then slowly drifts atop molten rock, carrying surface features with it.