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On the Ocean Floor

On to the Ocean Floor

A classic ophiolite sequence consists of the following layers: peridotite, gabbro, sheeted dikes, and pillow basalt (from bottom to top). The peridotite is iron and magnesium rich as well as extremely dense. The gabbro layer is produced by the partial melting from the underlying mantle. Sheeted dikes are also referred to as “feeder tubes” that carry magma upward through the chambers. The magma then erupts on the ocean floor to form the pillow basalts. Geologists have determined that it is from the ocean floor and was...

Posted by: Darren McCutchen

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