Pluton

Pluton (after Pluto, god of the dead world in Greek mythology ) is in geology, the term for a crystallized intrusive bodies within the crust, which consists of igneous rock.

Formation

Plutons formed when molten magma solidified in already from deeper layers of the earth's crust or mantle, penetrate higher -lying layers and solidify there slowly. Plutons have a considerable size (up to several 100 km in diameter) and thereby have no specific shape. The process takes about 5-10 miles below the surface instead of under superatmospheric pressure. The resulting rocks are called intrusive rocks, plutonic rocks or plutonic rocks.

Plutons are manifestations of Kryptovulkanismus: You are the observation usually only becomes available after, for example, the surrounding, much softer sedimentary rock has been eroded as a result of erosion, and then project often impressive from the landscape up (so-called " plutonic rock Massive" ). Famous sights include the Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil ) or the Devils Tower in Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming (USA).

Designations

Plutons are called depending on the type, size and extent as follows:

  • Batholith ( large, mostly composed of stock -like body Teilplutonen )
  • Lopolith (plate - bowl-shaped body )
  • Phakolith ( lenses or uneven limited body )
  • Lakkolith (body with a flat bottom and a curved surface )
  • Bysmalith ( conical or cylindrical Lakkolithe ).

In the roof area of plutons and in Übergängsbereich to any existing volcanoes on the earth's surface, there are numerous minor intrusions, such as:

  • Response ( correctly: dyke; discordant, plate-shaped body ), English: Dyke, American: Dike.
  • Sill ( concordant, layer parallel, plate-like, often lying flat body ), English: Sill.
  • Ring Dyke ( ring gear; steileinfallend )
  • Cone Sheet ( ring gear, on the top asked cone)
  • Ethmolith ( funnel-shaped, tapering down )
  • Floor ( irregularly designed body )
  • Gear Stock ( short walk of considerable extent)
  • Vent (English Pipe or Neck; ieS vent fillings, cylindrical).

According to their position in the magma tectonic cycle, a distinction is pre-, syn -, late - and post- tectonic plutons.

Examples

Plutons are distributed worldwide. Examples are

  • The Bramscher Pluton near Osnabrück,
  • The Greifensteine ​​in the Erzgebirge,
  • The Giant Mountains in the Sudetes,
  • The Chibinen on the Kola Peninsula in Russia,
  • The plutons of the Sierra Nevada and
  • Mount McKinley in Alaska.
Pluto (mythology) Crust (geology) Mantle (geology) Laccolith Dike (geology) Sill (geology) Volcanism Stock (geology) Ore Mountains Khibiny Mountains
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