Model of Bowen's Reaction Series · Earth and Space Sciences Reference Tables (ESSRT)

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The Model of Bowen's Reaction Series from the Reference Tables for Earth and Space Sciences (ESSRT) shows the order in which minerals crystallize as magma cools, and the igneous rocks that form at each stage. It primarily supports HS-ESS2-3.

What the Bowen's Reaction Series model shows

Temperature falls from 1400°C at the top, where the first minerals crystallize, to 650°C at the bottom, where the last ones do. In the discontinuous series, olivine is followed by pyroxene, amphibole and biotite mica; in the continuous series, plagioclase feldspar changes from calcium-rich to sodium-rich. Both series lead to potassium feldspar, muscovite mica and finally quartz. Beside the minerals, the model names the igneous rock types that form at each stage, from ultramafic (komatiite, peridotite) through mafic (basalt, gabbro) and intermediate (andesite, diorite) to felsic (rhyolite, granite), and a column of sketches shows the crystals that form as the magma cools.