Question

As a rock is worn down, the pieces that are produced will move away from the source. Thinking just about just the minerals in Bowen's Reaction Series, how should those minerals be distributed going from a location close to the mineral source to a location far away from the mineral source? Think about the silicate classes and their relative strength or resistance to breaking down (not hardness). Another way to think about is like this; at what distance would olivine be found from it's source compared to pyroxene, amphibole, l biotite and muscovite mica, orthoclase, and quartz and why?

Answer 1

The Bowen's reaction series is given below

Ca-zich emp 0 andegitc Mtle. trc ctemperature

There are two branches of the series one is discontinuous in left and continuous in right

The Olivine mineral crystallized first near their source of magma generation because olivine has highest temperature after orthopyroxine and clinopyroxene

The sequence of crystallization of minerals are shown in figure above. Because the mafic rock crystallize first with accumulating high temperature minerals. Magma move away from their source, evolution of magma starts and composition of magma become more and more felsic in nature.

Olivine is most unstable mineral and formed at Very high temperature and may easily weathered in comparison to tje other minerals but quartz is most stable that is formed at very low temperature and may not easily affected by weathering.