Calc-alkaline magma series

Calc-alkaline rocks are rich in alkaline earths (magnesia and calcium oxide) and alkali metals and make up a major part of the crust of the continents.

The diverse rock types in the calc-alkaline series include volcanic types such as basalt, andesite, dacite, rhyolite, and also their coarser-grained intrusive equivalents (gabbro, diorite, granodiorite, and granite).

With the calc-alkaline series, however, the precipitation of magnetite causes the iron-magnesium ratio to remain relatively constant, so the magma moves in a straight line towards the alkali corner on the AFM diagram.

Rocks in the series are thought to be genetically related by fractional crystallization and to be at least partly derived from magmas of basalt composition formed in the Earth's mantle.

Proposed mechanisms of formation begin with partial melting of subducted material and of mantle peridotite (olivine and pyroxene) altered by water and melts derived from subducted material.

AFM diagram showing the difference between tholeiitic and calc-alkaline magma series
AFM diagram showing the relative proportions of the oxides of alkalis (A), iron (F), and magnesium (M), with arrows showing the compositional change path of the magmas in the tholeiitic and the calc-alkaline magma series (BT=tholeiitic basalt, FB=ferro-basalt, ABT=tholeiitic basaltic andesite, AT=tholeiitic andesite, D=dacite, R=rhyolite, B=basalt, AB=basaltic andesite, A=andesite; dashed line=boundary between tholeiitic and calc-alkaline compositions)